University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


HISTORY 


OF 


BAPTIST  INDIAN  MISSIONS: 

EMBRACING 

REMARKS  ON  THE  FORMER  AND  PRESENT  CONDITION 

OF   THE 

ABORIGINAL    TRIBES; 

THEIR  SETTLEMENT  WITHIN  THE  INDIAN  TERRITORY, 

— — « *«, 

<£ 

AND   THEIR 

UTURE   PROSPECTS. 


BY  ISAAC  McCOY. 
Hi 


TO  THEM  WHICH  SAT  IN  THE  REGION  AND  SHADOW  OF  DEATH,  LIGHT 
18  SPRUNG  UP ;  AND  THE  SOLITARY  PLACE  SHALL  BE  GLAD,  AND  THK 
DESERT  SHALL  REJOICE  AND  BLOSSOM  AS  THE  ROSE. 

Matthew  and  Isaiah. 


WASHINGTON : 
WILLIAM    M.    MORRISON  J 

NEW-YORK  : 

H.    AND    S.    RAYNOR    76    BOWERY,  NEW-YORK,    AND 
BENNETT,  BACKUS  AND  HAWLEY,  UTICA. 

1840. 


ENTERED  ACCORDING  TO  ACT  OF  CONGRESS,  IN  THE  YEAR  MDCCCXL,  BY 
MCCOY,  IN  THE  CLERK'S  OFFICE  OF  THE  DISTRICT  COURT  FOR  THE 
OF  COLUMBIA. 


PRINTED    BY    P.    FORCE, 
TENTH    STREET,    WASHINGTON. 


x 


TO 


PRESIDENT    OF   THE    GENERAL  CONVENTION  OF  THE   BAPTIST 

DENOMINATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,  FOR  FOREIGN 

MISSIONS,  AND  OTHER  IMPORTANT  OBJECTS 

RELATING  TO  THE  REDEEMER'S 

KINGDOM, 

THE  .CONSTANT  AND  ARDENT  FRIEND  OF  THE  INDIANS, 

» 

AND    FOR   THE    LAST    TWENTY-FIVE    YEARS    THE    EFFICIENT    PROMOTER    OF    THEIR 
TEMPORAL  AND  SPIRITUAL  WELFARE, 

THE  FOLLOWING  PAGES  ARE  RESPECTFULLY  INSCRIBED,  BY 

THE  AUTHOR. 


TESTIMONIALS. 


December,  1839. 

SIR  :  Accept  our  thanks  for  the  opportunity  you  have  afforded  us 
of  perusing  your  manuscript  History  of  Baptist  Missions  to  the 
Indians.  Our  gratification  is  heightened  by  a  retrospect  of  the 
many  years  that  we  have  been  associated  with  you  in  missionary 
labours.  We  regret  that,  to  avoid  rendering  the  work  too  volumi 
nous,  you  have  been  obliged  to  abridge  the  history  in  reference  to 
many  interesting  facts ;  and  we  hope  that,  should  a  second  edition 
be  necessary,  this  defect  will  be  remedied. 

We  heartily  approve  of  the  publication  of  the  work;  it  has 
already  been  too  long  delayed.  It  will  be  accompanied  by  our 
prayers,  uttered  with  strong  confidence  that  such  is  its  character  that 
God  will  make  it  a  means  of  promoting  zeal,  and  liberality,  in  be 
half  of  the  too  much  neglected  people  to  whose  temporal  and  eternal 
welfare  we  have  consecrated  our  lives. 

Respectfully,  your  brethren  and  fellow-missionaries-, 

J.  LYKINS, 

ROBERT  SIMERWELL, 
JOTHAM  MEEKER. 
REV.  ISAAC  McCoy, 


As  the  printed  sheets  came  out  of  press,  a  specimen  of  each  was 
sent  to  a  few  gentlemen  whose  names  are  favourably  known  in  the 
churches,  and  in  the  country  generally,  who  have  kindly  returned 
the  following  testimonials  in  favour  of  the  work: 

From  the  Rev.  Charles  G.  Somrners,  Pastor  of  the  South  Bap 
tist  Church,  City  of  New- York,  and  Corresponding  Secretary  of 
the  American  and  Foreign  Bible  Society, 

New- York,  April  27,  1840. 

I  have  read  the  proof  sheets  of  the  "  History  of  Baptist  Indian 
Missions,"  by  the  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy,  and  have  no  hesitation  in  ex 
pressing  the  opinion,  that  if  great  practical  experience  in  Indian 
affairs,  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  past  and  present  history 
of  our  aborigines,  added  to  an  agreeable  talent  for  the  descriptive, 
can  entitle  an  author  to  general  patronage,  then  the  present  work 
must  receive  a  very  extensive  circulation  among  the  multitudes  who 


TESTIMONIALS. 

sympathize  in  the   physical   sufferings  and  moral  degradation  of 
American  Indians. 

CHARLES  G.  SOMMERS. 


From  the  Rev.  Stephen  Chapin,  D.  D.,  President  of  the  Colum 
bian  College,  D.  C. 

Columbian  College,  May  2d,  1840. 

I  have  read  with  attention  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
McCoy's  "  History  of  Baptist  Indian  Missions."  It  is  the  object  of 
the  writer  to  give  a  history  of  the  origin,  the  progress,  and  the  pre 
sent  state,  of  this  mission :  this  he  has  done  in  a  style  strong  and 
perspicuous,  and  wholly  free  from  quaintness,  or  laboured  effort  to 
produce  effect. 

This  work,  independently  of  its  intrinsic  merit,  and  the  benevo 
lent  design  of  the  author,  will  be  read  with  much  interest  by  every 
philanthropist  and  Christian,  on  account  of  its  bearing  upon  the  en 
terprise  to  preserve  the  Indian  race,  by  introducing  among  them  the 
blessings  of  Christianity  and  civilization.  This  attempt  is  certainly 
among  the  most  memorable  events  in  the  history  of  this  country. 
For  more  than  two  centuries  after  the  settlement  of  North- America, 
the  various  Indian  tribes,  who  from  time  immemorial  were  the  un 
disputed  sovereigns  of  the  soil,  continued  to  melt  away  before  the 
enterprise  and  the  cupidity  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  settlers.  In  this 
period,  some  of  them  became  extinct,  others  were  dispersed,  and  all 
the  while  their  entire  population  continued  to  wane  in  a  rapid  ratio. 
In  view  of  these  facts,  many  distinguished  individuals  were  led  to 
inquire,  what  can  be  done  to  save  the  remnant  of  this  noble  race  from 
speedy  and  utter  extinction?  And  the  plan  was  formed  to  collect 
the  fragments  of  the  remaining  tribes,  and  to  settle  them  without  the 
boundary  of  our  Confederacy,  and  upon  lands  provided  for  them  by 
the  Government,  where  they  would  have  powerful  motives  to  give 
up  their  habits  of  hunting  and  of  war,  and  where,  in  their  permanent 
homes,  they  might  be  steadily  acted  upon  by  the  teacher  and  the  mis 
sionary.  The  reader  will  learn  that  the  author,  and  the  missionary 
board  who  patronise  his  efforts,  acted  no  inconsiderable  part  in  this 
great  enterprise  to  make  some  return  to  the  aborigines  of  this  country 
for  the  wrongs  they  had  received  at  our  hands,  and  to  save  them  from 
final  ruin. 

There  is  yet  another  interesting  light  in  which  this  work  may  be 
viewed,  in  its  tendency  to  do  away  the  general  prejudice  that  there  is 
something  queer  in  the  Indian  character;  that  his  passion  for  hunt 
ing  and  war  is  original;  and  that,  therefore,  you  can  no  more  civilize 
him  than  you  can  tame  the  partridge  of  the  forest.  But  let  it  once 
be  fully  understood  that  there  is  nothing  peculiar  in  the  character  of 
the  Indians — that  their  habits  are  the  result  of  circumstances,  and  not 
the  result  of  original  propensities — and  our  missionary  labours  to 
save  them  will  be  more  liberal  and  sanguine.  In  a  word,  I  cordially 


TESTIMONIALS. 


recommend  the  work  to  the  attentive  perusal  of  the  friends  of  Indian 
missions,  and  hope  that  it  will  have  a  wide  circulation,  and  do  much 
good  in  advancing  a  cause  in  which  we  are  all  so  much  concerned. 

S.  CHAPIN. 


From  the  Hon.  Wilson  Lumpkin,  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 
at  Athens,  Georgia,  Ex-Governour  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  and 
Senator  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

Washington,  May  2d,  1840. 

MY  DEAR  SIR:  With  feelings  of  interest  and  pleasure,  I  have 
read  the  sheets  submitted  by  you  for  my  perusal,  on  the  subject  of 
Baptist  Indian  Missions.  The  importance  of  the  facts  which  you 
record  cannot  fail  to  render  them  useful  and  interesting  to  all  who 
may  read  them.  But  the  value  of  your  work  will  be  more  fully 
appreciated  hereafter. 

The  very  limited  aid  which  you  have  received  in  your  long  and 
untiring  efforts  to  save  the  native  race  of  our  land,  demonstrates  the 
fact,  that  your  philanthropic  spirit  has  been  in  advance  of  your  gene 
ration;  but  you  have  not  laboured  in  vain.     The  brief  historical 
sketch  which  you  design  giving  to  the  public  substitutes  (within  my 
own  knowledge)  truth  in  the  place  of  popular  fable,  on  many  points 
connected  with  the  Indian  character.    You  have  not  suffered  imagi 
nation,  or  tradition,  to  supersede  truth.     You  have  justly  considered 
and  treated  the  character  of  the  Indian,  as  that  of  a  man — nothing 
more  or  less  than  a  man  in  peculiar  circumstances,  demanding  the 
lively  sympathies  of  his  fellow-man,  who  may  happen  to  be  in  a 
more  favoured  position.     All  the  peculiarities  of  the  Indian  charac 
ter  have  arisen  from  the  circumstances  in  which  they  have  been 
found.     As  to  the  period,  manner,  and  place,  of  peopling  America 
by  the  aboriginal  race,  you  prudently  leave  these  questions  involved 
in  that  obscurity  which  candour  demands  from  every  considerate 
and  intelligent  man.     You  have,  incidentally  to  your  main  object, 
sketched  some  of  the  most  prominent  errors  of  the  Government  in 
its  policy  and  intercourse  with  the  Indian  tribes,  and  suggested  the 
only  true  remedy.     You  have  afforded  the  means  of  tracing  the 
chief  causes  of  all  the  failures  of  missionary  efforts  amongst  the  na 
tive  American  race ;  but  that  which  I  esteem  to  be  of  greatest  value 
of  all  the  facts  which  you  have  submitted,  is  the  record  of  the  mis 
sionary  efforts  of  you  and  your  family,  and  associates ;  and  which 
may  serve  to  enable  those  who  would  engage  in  similar  labours  to 
make  a  just  estimate  of  the  joys  and  sorrows  which  await  the  de 
voted  missionary. 

I  hope  your  work  will  be  extensively  read;  it  is  worthy  of  the 
patronage  of  the  wise  and  the  good,  and  I  very  sincerely  commend 
it  to  the  consideration  of  all.  You  have  literally  forsaken  all  the 
flattering  prospects  of  this  life,  and  cast  your  eye  to  that  abiding  in- 


TESTIMONIALS. 

heritance  where  you  and  your  Indian  converts  will  be  equal  and 
joint  heirs  with  the  author  of  your  faith. 
Your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

WILSON  LUMPKIN. 
REV.  ISAAC  McCov. 


From  the  Rev.  Rufus  Babcock,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Poughkeepsie,  New- York. 

Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  May  1,  1840. 

I  have  carefully,  and  with  deep  interest,  perused  the  principal 
part  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  McCoy's  History  of  Indian  Missions.  For 
many  years  I  have  been  personally  acquainted  with  the  author,  and 
have  formed  an  opinion  decidedly  favourable  of  his  piety,  devoted- 
ness,  and  self-denial,  in  the  great  work  of  Indian  reform.  No  man 
now  living  has  probably  enjoyed  so  ample  opportunities  of  tho 
roughly  understanding  the  character  and  the  wants  of  our  abori 
gines.  What  he  has  done  and  suffered  for  them,  and  what  he  has 
desired  and  attempted  to  have  accomplished  for  their  benefit,  are  set 
forth  in  a  simple  and  perspicuous  manner  in  this  volume.  No  one 
can  read  it  without  feeling  compelled  to  give  credit  to  the  mission 
aries,  among  the  Indians,  for  more  zeal  and  self-sacrifice  in  their 
labours  than  even  the  well  informed  portion  of  the  Christian  com 
munity  have  ever  imagined. 

In  warmly  recommending  this  history  to  Christians,  to  philan 
thropists,  and,  indeed,  to  all  who  seek  for  extensive  and  exact  inform 
ation  on  the  subjects  embraced  in  it,  it  will  not  be  understood  that 
every  opinion  advanced  is  regarded  as  established,  since  "  to  err  is 
human."  The  work  will  undoubtedly  commend  itself  to  the  public 
confidence,  as  the  testimony  of  sufferings — a  kind  of  martyr-witness; 
and,  as  such,  I  sincerely  hope  it  may  be  extensively  read,  and  serve 
to  awaken  greater  liberality  and  energy  in  conducting  Christian 
missions  among  the  waning  remnants  of  that  race  who  were  lately 
the  undisputed  proprietors  of  our  national  domain. 

RUFUS  BABCOCK,  JR. 


tic  »H  fiji*  ji3U;i'w  flaw!  s'f&d  aneaml  otfo 
-7  «  I-Fwow  *)7?1f   •  -.I»f4m.  irldikf  sit*  hB^lwir  o)  l>»ir3*K>f.i*.o  'How 
R  jIoifR  £j  [tug  t'/iwij  ataoaq  u  1o«cl«6?/  !»w»n^jjihj  ;(..*>  oilj  lidiii 

PREFACE. 

tiDoa  bluod*  ii  fluoth  ,/dlil  "M  -;to]j?»;i  itoimnos  01!)  lo  dfiug  oi 


I  have  supposed  that  an  introduction,  embracing  remarks  on 
the  origin,  character,  and  condition  of  the  aborigines  of  our 
country,  would  be  useful  as  a  preliminary  to  the  history  which 
follows. 

In  the  history  itself,  some  latitude  has  been  indulged,  in  reach 
ing  matter  which  would  properly  belong  to  a  history  of  the 
Indians,  and  especially  to  a  history  of  their  settlement  in  the 
Indian  territory;  but  I  have  seldom,  if  ever,  touched  any  matter 
which  I  did  not  believe  had  some  bearing  upon  the  narrative, 
either  immediate  or  remote. 

The  materials  which  more  than  twenty  years3  missionary 
operations  had  supplied  amounted  to  more  than  time  and  oppor 
tunity  to  write,  and  the  means  to  meet  the  cost  of  publishing, 
admitted  into  the  work  ;  and  much  has  been  omitted  that  would 
probably  be  useful  to  the  public.  Most  of  the  missionaries  have 
not  been  sufficiently  careful  to  record  in  their  journals  all  mat 
ters  of  interest,  and  the  accessible  resources  of  information, 
besides  my  own  notes,  have  been  scanty  beyond  expectation. 
It  is  hoped,  however,  that,  by  the  vigilance  of  missionaries  in 
future,  these  defects  may,  in  some  measure,  be  remedied. 

The  work  has  been  prepared  at  short  intervals,  amidst  the 
pressure  of  other  duties,  and  there  is  much  reason  to  fear  that 
the  utility  of  important  matter  will,  to  some  extent,  be  pre 
vented  by  its  going  abroad  in  homely  dress.  Most  books 


PREFACE. 

respecting  the  Indians  have  been  written  with  an  air  of  romance 
well  calculated  to  mislead  the  public  mind.  If  we  would  ex 
hibit  the  condition  and  wants  of  a  people  truly,  and  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  elicit  helps  to  their  improvement,  it  is  necessary 
to  speak  of  the  common  matters  of  life,  though  it  should  seem 
to  be  at  the  expense  of  some  refinement  of  taste,  and  to  pre 
sent  to  the  reader  the  people  as  they  are  at  home. 

It  is  with  much  satisfaction  that  the  joint  certificate  of  Messrs. 
Lykins,  Simerwell,  and  Meeker,  is  inserted.  For  many  years 
we  have  all  laboured  side  by  side  in  our  missionary  enterprise ; 
and  such  is  the  extent  of  their  information,  that  their  assistance 
in  compiling  the  work  would,  doubtless,  have  enhanced  its 
worth.  The  missionaries  more  remote  would  have  been  con 
sulted,  had  there  been  opportunity,  and  it  is  believed  that 
the  publication  will  be  favoured  with  the  hearty  approval  of 
them  all. 

With  prayer  that  the  blessing  of  God  may  accompany  the 
work,  it  is  respectfully  submitted  to  the  public  by 

THE  AUTHOR. 

Shawanoe  Baptist  Mission, 

Indian  Territory,  December t  1839. 


lo  ootuiig^'-drf.!1  vd 


-^   ml    VJ   bsiaov 


Jl 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION. 

PAGE 

SEC.  1.  Origin  of  the  Indians.  There  is  no  evidence  that 
they  are  descendants  of  Israel.  Probable  manner 
of  their  introduction  into  America, .  .  9 

SEC.  2.  Their  original  condition.  Not  taciturn  and  phlegma 
tic.  Not  strangely  attached  to  either  hunting  or 
war 17 

SEC.  3.  They  have  no  marriage  ceremonies.  Are  without 
law.  Their  numbers  had  not  diminished  before 
their  discovery  by  Europeans.  They  had  not  de 
generated  from  a  more  improved  condition, 25 

SEC.  4.  They  claimed  particular  portions  of  country.  Indian 
rights  to  land  denied  by  Europeans.  The  Indians 
were  the  real  owners, 28 

SEC.  5.  All  Europeans  adopted  the  same  principle  in  taking 
possession  of  Indian  lands.  The  delusive  nature 
of  Indian  treaties.  Moneys  unfairly  obtained  by 
them, 30 

SEC.  6.  The  Government  of  the  United  States  adheres  to  the 
principles  previously  adopted  by  Europeans.  Trea 
ties  become  more  liberal  in  their  provisions,  ....  32 

SEC.  7.  The  policy  which  ought  to  have  been  adopted.  In 
creasing  regard  for  Indians.  A  change  of  measures 
essential  to  the  prosperity  of  the  Indians, 34 

SEC.  8.  Improved  condition  of  the  southern  tribes.  The  crisis 
produced  by  a  bad  policy.  Difficulties  between  the 
General  Government,  the  State  of  Georgia,  and  the 
Cherokees, 36 

SEC.  9.  Change  of  measures  in  the  management  of  Indian 

affairs,  .  39 


CHAP.  I.  Correspondence,  and  appointments  to  missionary  ser 
vice.  First  efforts.  Location  on  Wabash  river, 
Indiana.  Journey  among  the  Delawares.  School 
commenced.  Necessity  for  removal.  Second  tour 
among  the  Delawares.  Sickness.  Baptism  of  the 
teacher.  Journey  to  Fort  Wayne, 43 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP,  IV. 


CHAP.  II.  Removal  to  Fort  Wayne.  The  school  prospers. 
Baptisms.  Journey  to  Ohio.  Sickness.  Jour 
ney  to  Vincennes.  Arrival  of  a  missionary. 
Awful  effects  of  intemperance.  Embarrass 
ments  for  want  of  the  means  of  support.  Bap 
tism  of  a  Delaware  woman.  Difficulties  in 

obtaining  school  teachers, Tl 

CHAP.  III.  Pecuniary  assistance  obtained  from  Government. 
Pressing  necessities.  Assistance  obtained  in 
Ohio.  Mr.  Hill  quits  the  mission.  Indian 
murders.  Retrospect  of  a  year's  operations. 
Tour  among  the  Putawatomies.  Praying  In 
dians.  Voyage  down  the  Wabash  river.  Bap 
tisms, w,,,t-rt'. 89 

Dreadful  effects  of  ardent  spirits.  Superintend 
ents  of  missionary  stations.  Important  treaty 
at  Chicago.  Beneficial  stipulations.  Indian 
murders.  Candidates  for  missionary  service. 
Sickness.  Indian  murders.  Circular  to  the 
public.  Want  of  suitable  school  teachers. 
Journey  to  Washington.  Arrival  of  a  mis 
sionary.  Appointment  of  missionaries.  In 
jury  received  from  an  Indian.  Manufacture 
of  cloth, '. 110 

Lamentable  death  of  an  Indian  woman.  Arrival 
of  a  missionary.  Modes  of  burial.  Ceremony 
of  adoption.  Tour  among  the  Putawatomies. 
A  suffering  mother  and  infant.  Dreadful  ef 
fects  of  intemperance.  Baptism  of  Mr.  Lykins. 
He  is  appointed  a  missionary.  Temperance 
society.  Journey  to  Detroit.  Appointments 
from  Government.  Disinterestedness  of  the 
missionaries.  Arrival  of  missionaries.  Church 
constituted.  Severe  sickness  of  the  mission 
family.  Death.  Arrival  of  a  missionary,  .  .  131 

Indian  murders.  Failure  of  a  missionary.  Mis 
sion  Family  Rules.  Erection  of  mission  build 
ings.  Death  of  Mr.  B.  Sears.  Removal  to 
the  St.  Joseph's  river.  The  school  resumed. 
Want  of  supplies  of  bread  stuff  Sickness. 
Benevolence  of  Christians  in  support  of  the 

mission, 164 

CHAP.  VII.  Resignation  of  a  missionary.  Journey  to  Ohio. 
Loss  of  property  in  Elksheart  river.  A  second 
loss.  Tour  among  the  Ottawas.  Superstition. 
Scheme  conceived  for  procuring  in  the  west  a 
permanent  residence  for  the  Indians.  Major 
Long's  exploring  party  visits  the  mission. 


CHAP.  V. 


CHAP.  VI. 


CONTENTS. 


5 


Scarcity  of  bread.  Efforts  to  promote  colo 
nization.  The  routine  of  business.  Want  of 
support, 186 

CHAP.  VIII.  Tour  among  the  Ottawas.  Medicine  dance. 
Death  of  Indian  pupils.  Loss  of  property  on 
Lake  Michigan.  The  Government  agent  ex 
amines  the  affairs  of  the  mission.  Arrival  of 
missionaries.  Want  of  the  means  of  support. 
Journey  to  Washington.  Scheme  for  colo 
nizing  the  Indians.  Tour  to  take  collections. 
Success.  Phenomenon  on  Lake  Erie.  Mr. 
Simerwell  joins  the  mission.  Condition  of 
affairs  in  the  vicinity  of  the  establishment. 
Encouraging  appearances, 206 

CHAP.  IX.  Sickness.  Visit  of  the  Sauks.  Effects  of  ardent 
spirits.  Revival  of  religion.  Journey  to  Ohio, 
and  death  of  a  child.  Condition  of  the  institu 
tion,  as  reported  by  the  United  States'  commis 
sioner.  Baptism.  Tour  among  the  Ottawas. 
Selection  of  a  site  for  a  missionary  station. 
Indian  colonization.  Continuation  of  religious 
animation, 229 

CHAP.  X.  Narrow  escape  from  a  murderer.  Improving 
condition  of  the  Ottawas.  Improvements  of 
the,Putawatomies.  Baptisms,  Paralyzing  ef 
fects  of  ardent  spirits.  Preparation  of  Indian 
youths  for  superior  usefulness.  They  enter 
the  Baptist  Theological  Institution  at  Hamil 
ton,  New- York.  Indian  festival.  Resigna 
tion  of  missionaries.  Condition  of  the  school, 
&c.  Arrival  of  missionaries.  Efforts  to  pro 
mote  colonization.  Effects  of  intemperance. 
Cattle  furnished  the  Ottawas.  Measures  of 
the  board  in  reference  to  the  missionaries,  .  .  .  258 

CHAP.  XT.  Commissioner's  report  of  the  mission.  Impor 
tant  treaty  stipulations.  Arrival  of  mission 
aries.  Difficult  journey  to  Thomas  station. 
Voyage  to  Thomas.  An  idol.  Two  boys 
taken  to  Vermont  to  study  medicine.  Super 
stition.  Missionaries  arrive  at  Thomas ;  others 
return  to  Carey, 286 

CHAP.  XII.  Marriage  of  a  missionary.  Sickness.  Origin 
of  mission  to  Sault  de  St.  Marie.  Indian  hos 
tilities.  A  captive  redeemed.  Cannibalism. 
Indian  murders.  Journey  to  Thomas.  Sick 
ness  among  the  Ottawas.  Treaty  at  Carey. 
Journey  to  the  Eastern  States.  Remarks  on 
Indian  reform,  published.  Efforts  to  promote 


O  CONTENTS. 

colonization.  Objections  on  account  of  slavery. 
First  settlement  of  emigrants  in  the  Indian  ter 
ritory.  Exploring  tour  originated.  Station  at 
Sault  de  St.  Marie, 308 

CHAP.  X11I.  Tour  of  exploration.  Pecuniary  embarrass 
ments.  Tour  with  Putawatomies  and  Otta- 
was.  Poverty  of  the  Osages.  Indians  are 
not  taciturn.  The  Indians'  skill  in  following 
foot-prints  overrated.  Miserable  condition  of 
the  Kauzaus.  Tour  with  delegations  of  Creeks, 
Chickasaws,  and  Choctaws.  Death  of  a  Creek 
Indian.  Council  with  Osages;  their  buffalo 
hunts,  names,  religion,  condition,  tales,  &c.,  .  .  332 

CHAP.  XIV.  Exploring  expedition  continued,  and  terminated 
on  Arkansas.  Journey  to  Washington.  Re 
port  of  the  expedition.  Valuation  of  improve 
ments  at  Carey.  Influence  of  politics  upon 
the  subject  of  Indian  colonization.  Reprint  of 
remarks  on  Indian  reform.  Triennial  Con 
vention.  Memorial  to  Congress.  Missionaries 
remove  to  the  West.  Calumny  counteracted,  .  365 

CHAP.  XV.  Baptisms.  Condition  of  Thomas  station.  Tour 
of  exploration.  Sickness.  Journey  to  Wash 
ington.  Memorial  of  the  Board  of  Missions 
to  Congress.  Other  memorials  for  and  against 
colonization.  Stage  accident.  Proffered  re 
signation  of  missionaries.  Passage  of  the 
memorable  act  of  Congress,  known  as  "  The 
law  of  1830."  Selection  of  Indian  reserva 
tions.  Sickness  and  death  of  Dr.  J.  McCoy. 
Discontinuance  of  the  Carey  station.  Survey 
ing  expedition.  Origin  of  mission  among  the 
Shawanoes.  Origin  of  missions  to  Otoes  and 
Omahas.  Councils  with  Kauzaus,  Shawanoes, 
and  Pawnees.  First  request  of  an  Indian 
tribe,  for  a  land  patent.  Ancient  tumuli. 
Clouds  of  dust.  Natural  curiosity, 389 

CHAP.  XVI.  Journey  to  Washington.  Origin  of  missions 
among  the  Choctaws.  Station  established 
among  the  Shawanoes.  Difficult  journey  to 
Arkansas.  Councils  with  the  Cherokees  and 
Creeks.  Exploration.  Severe  storm.  Alarm 
given  the  Osages.  Sickness  and  deaths.  Ori 
gin  of  the  church  among  the  Creeks.  Explo 
ration.  Massacre  of  De^awares.  Journey  to 
Missouri.  Location  among  the  Shawanoes. 
Missionaries  to  Sault  de  St.  Marie.  Journey 
to  Washington.  Address  to  the  public,  ....  412 


CONTENTS.  t 

CHAP.  XVII.  Creek  treaty.  Small-pox  intentionally  commu 
nicated.  Cherokee  difficulties.  Triennial  con 
vention.  Appointment  of  two  missionaries. 
Death  of  Dr.  R.  McCoy.  Settlement  near  the 
Shawanoes.  Journey  to  Arkansas.  Muscogee 
Baptist  church  constituted.  Baptisms.  School 
opened  among  the  Shawanoes.  Additional  bap 
tisms  among  the  Creeks.  Report  to  Commis 
sioners.  Location  of  a  missionary  among  the 
Choctaws.  Baptism  at  Shawanoe.  Proposed 
mission  to  the  Kickapoos.  Kickapoo  prophet. 
Missionary  appointed  to  the  Choctaws.  Arri 
val  of  missionaries  at  the  Shawanoe  station,  .  .  440 

CHAP.  XVIII.  Baptism.  Tour  in  the  wilderness.  Arrival 
of  missionaries.  Mission  established  among 
the  Otoes.  Arrival  of  other  missionaries. 
Journey  to  Arkansas.  A  missionary  retires 
from  labour.  Baptisms.  Tour  in  the  wilder 
ness.  Journey  to  Washington.  Enlistment  of 
missionaries.  Printing  press.  New  system 
of  writing.  Baptism.  Tour  in  the  wilder 
ness.  Resignation  of  a  missionary.  Publica 
tion  of  the  Annual  Register.  Death.  Apos- 
tacy  of  a  missionary.  Arrival  of  missionaries 
at  the  Creek  station.  Death  of  two  mission 
aries.  Arrival  of  missionaries  among  the 
Choctaws.  Newspaper  in  Shawanoe.  Books 
in  Creek  and  Choctaw.  Baptism,  and  mission 
ary  appointment, 463 

CHAP.  XIX.  Boarding  schools.  Ordination  of  a  missionary. 
Indian  hostilities.  Journey  to  Washington. 
Boundaries  of  Arkansas.  Ottawa  treaty;  im 
portant  amendment  in  favour  of  the  Thomas 
station.  Putawatomie  delegation.  Cherokee 
treaty.  Fruitless  effort  to  effect  a  better  treaty. 
Bill  for  the  organization  of  the  Indian  terri 
tory.  Indian  notion  of  religion.  Sickness. 
Journey  to  Indiana.  Appointment  of  mission 
aries  to  the  Creeks.  Missionaries  leave  the 
Creek  country, 489 

CHAP.  XX.  Cherokee  station.  Omahas.  Death.  Journey 
to  Washington.  Treaty  with  Putawatomies. 
Baptisms.  Tour  in  the  wilderness.  Seat  of 
government  of  the  Indian  territory,  &c.  Mis 
sionaries  arrive  at  Shawanoe.  A  design  to 
get  the  Indians'  lands.  Periodical  account  • 
published.  Annual  Register.  Establishment 
of  the  Ottawa  station.  Establishment  of  the 


8 


CONTENTS. 


Putawatomie  station.  Half-breed  lands.  Bill 
for  organizing  the  Indian  territory  laid  before 
the  different  tribes.  Putawatomies  divided. 
Baptisms.  Three  delegations  examine  the 
country, 513 

CHAP.  XXI.  Mission  to  the  Osages.  Their  deplorable  con 
dition.  Ordination.  Death  of  a  female  mis 
sionary.  Journey  to  Washington.  Bill  for 
the  organization  of  the  Indian  territory  passed 
by  the  Senate.  Baptist  Convention.  Death. 
Superstition  of  the  Chippewas.  General  coun 
cil  among  the  Cherokees.  Expedition  to  Flo 
rida.  Journey  to  the  Putawatomies.  Indian 
bill  laid  before  the  southern  tribes.  Improved 
condition  of  the  Choctaws.  Delawares  desire 
laws.  Patent  to  the  Cherokees, 535 

CHAP.  XXII.  Small-pox.  Death.  Journey  to  Washington. 
Difficulties  at  the  Creek  station.  Fourth  num 
ber  of  the  Annual  Register.  The  Indian  bill 
again  passes  the  Senate.  Death  of  a  mission 
ary.  Baptisms.  Missionaries  appointed.  Wy- 
andauts.  Stockbridges 554 

CHAP.  XXIII.  Condition  of  affairs  at  the  close  of  1839.  Pun- 
cahs.  Omahas.  Station  abandoned.  Paw 
nees.  Otoes.  loways.  Sauks.  Kickapoos. 
Kauzaus.  Delawares.  Shawanoes.  Books 
printed.  Ottawas.  Weas  and  Piankashas.  Pe- 
orias  and  Kaskaskias.  Putawatomies.  Osages. 
•  Quapaws.  Senecas  and  Shawanoes.  Creeks. 
Cherokees.  Choctaws.  Obligation  of  the  Bap 
tists,  560 

CHAP.  XXIV.  Encouragement  to  go  forward  in  the  work  of 

Indian  reform, 577 


APPENDIX. 

No.  1.  Speech  of  the  Hon.  Wilson  Lumpkin,  in  the  House 
of  Representatives,  in  Congress,  on  the  bill  for 
the  removal  of  the  Indians,  May  17th,  1830,  589 

No.  2.  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Missions  of  the 

Baptist  General  Convention,  in  May,  1832,  .  .  595 

No.  3.  Speech  of  the  Hon.  A.  H.  Sevier,  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States,  on  the  ''bill  to  provide  for  the 
security  and  protection  of  the  immigrant  and 
other  Indian  tribes  west  of  the  States  of  Mis 


souri  and  Arkansas,"  February  23,  1839, 


598 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


Introductory  Remarks  on  the  origin  of  the  Indian  Tribes:  their 
condition;  the  relation  which  they  have  sustained  towards 
other  Nations  since  their  acquaintance  with  them,  and  their 
prospects  for  the  future. 

SECTION  1. — On  the  present  occasion  we  can  devote  but 
little  time  to  the  consideration  of  the  subjects  which  we  here 
propose  to  notice.  Inclination  would  lead  us  to  write  a  volume, 
and  should  life  last  sufficiently  long,  this  inclination  may  one 
day  be  gratified.  But  we  shall  here  attempt  no  more  than  a 
brief  sketch,  one  object  of  which  will  be  to  show  to  the  public 
that  its  credulity  in  many  respects  has  long  been  heavily  taxed 
with  misrepresentations. 

At  what  period,  in  what  manner,  and  from  what  place  the 
aboriginal  tribes  carne  to  America,  or  to  which  of  the  nations 
of  the  earth  they  are  most  nearly  related,  are  questions  that 
never  can  be  satisfactorily  answered. 

The  most  common  opinion  in  regard  to  their  descent,  and 
one  which  our  minds  seem  predisposed  to  adopt,  is,  that  they 
are  the  descendants  of  Israel.  Volumes  have  been  written  in 
favour  of  this  hypothesis,  and  the  evidences  in  its  support  have 
been  presented  in  the  most  imposing  manner,  but  such  proof  as 
is  necessary  to  a  belief  of  the  fact  assumed  is  still  wanting. 
One  tells  us  that  he  has  heard  the  Indians  on  festival  occasions 
use  the  Hebrew  word  Hallelujah.  But  others,  amon^  whom  is  the 
writer  of  this,  have  listened  to  the  unmeaning  whooping  alluded 
to,  and  could  perceive  no  similarity  which  a  fruitful  imagination 
could  not  as  easily  conjecture  resembled  words  of  some  other 
language.  Certain  it  is,  the  Indians  do  not  design,  by  their  un 
meaning  hallooing  on  festival  occasions,  to  say  any  thing  like 
"praise  ye  the  Lord."  So  far  as  we  have  any  knowledge  of 
Indian  language,  no  dialect  admits  of  this  form  of  speech. 
Praise  ye  the  Lord,  cannot  be  literally  translated  into  Indian. 


10  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 

It  appears  to  us  that  a  just  comparison  of  languages  would  be 
the  best  test  of  the  origin  of  the  aborigines;  but  it  appears  equally 
plain  that  no  just  comparison  has  been  instituted.  The  vocabula 
ries  of  Indian  language  have  usually  been  made  by  or  through 
careless,  ignorant  men,  and  we  have  never  seen  a  list  of  words,  of 
any  of  the  tribes  with  which  we  have  formed  some  acquaintance 
in  our  twenty  years'  intercourse  in  Indian  affairs,  that  is  not  too 
imperfect  to  be  used  for  scientific  purposes.  Take  for  instance 
words  of  most  common  use  in  our  intercourse  with  the  Indians, 
as  for  example,  the  words  meaning  father,  mother,  brother, 
sister,  &c.  The  language  of  not  one  of  the  tribes  which  ever 
lived  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Atlantic  ocean,  admits  of 
this  mode  of  expression  ;  in  this  case  the  noun  cannot  be  ex 
pressed  without  the  pronoun.  In  vocabularies  of  the  Putawa- 
tomie  language  nosah  is  given  for  the  word  father,  but  nosah  is 
my  father,  kos,  thy  father,  ossun,  his  or  her  father.  N'sessah 
is  my  elder  brother,  messah  is  my  elder  sister,  n'sheemah  is 
either  my  younger  sister  or  my  younger  brother,  gender  not 
being  implied.  In  Indian  speeches  which  have  appeared  in 
print,  the  speaker  is  invariably  made  to  use  the  word  brother  or 
father,  and  in  every  instance  he  is  misrepresented,  because  he 
has  no  word  for  father,  mother,  brother  or  sister,  as  is  seen  in 
the  example  above.  If  he  uses  the  word  father,  he  says  my 
father,  our  father,  &.C.;  he  has  no  separate  word  for  either 
brother  or  sister ;  if  he  uses  the  word  brother,  he  says  my  elder 
brother;  if  he  speaks  of  a  sister,  he  says  messah,  which  is  my 
elder  sister;  if  he  omits  the  adjective  elder,  he  is  compelled  to 
imply  the  adjective  younger — he  uses  the  word  n'sheema,  which, 
as  before  stated,  is  my  younger  brother  or  my  younger  sister. 

A  list  of  similar  blunders  might  be  extended,  until  the  pa 
tience  of  the  reader  w?ould  be  exhausted.  We  select  these,  the 
most  familiar  and  the  most  easily  understood,  as  a  specimen  of 
the  inaccuracy  of  Indian  vocabularies,  and  to  show  how  little 
we  can  gain  by  them. 

In  a  comparison  of  languages  for  the  purposes  under  con 
sideration,  the  idiomatic  construction  would  of  course  be  par 
ticularly  noticed  ;  but  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  In 
dian  is  the  pupil  of  nature — the  construction  of  his  language,  as 
well  as  his  modes  of  obtaining  subsistence,  is  such  as  is  most 
natural.  Hence  we  would  expect  to  find  its  construction  most 
nearly  resembling  the  most  ancient  languages. 

Customs  among  the  Indians  have  been  compared  with  Jewish 
customs  with  much  satisfaction  by  those  who  believed  these 
people  were  of  Israel's  line  j  xbut  it  is  observable  that  all  the 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS.  i  i 

customs  referred  to  among  the  Indians  are  such  a?  are  perfectly 
natural  to  people  in  their  condition — precisely  such,  and  such 
only,  as  we  would  expect  to  find  among  them,  had  they  de 
scended  from  any  other  people,  and  hence  no  argument  is  fur 
nished  in  favour  of  the  hypothesis  under  consideration." 

We  are  referred  to  certain  ceremonies  respecting  uncleanness 
and  sanctification,  in  which  the  parties  for  a  time  are  separated 
from  other  company;  but  with  the  Indians  this  retirement  is  the 
result  of  that  sense  of  decency  which  belongs  to  human  nature 
every  where,  the  observance  of  which  is  more  rigid  in  refined 
society,  and  less  in  barbarous.  The  poverty  of  the  Indians  in 
regard  to  raiment  and  houses  increases  the  necessity  for  separa 
tion  from  company. 

We  have  been  referred  to  Indian  festivals  as  bearing  a  striking 
resemblance  to  those  of  the  Jews,  particularly  the  festival  of 
the  Indians  which  occurs  at  the  use  of  the  first  ripe  fruits  of 
the  season.  They  have  three  festivals  of  this  character  in  the 
course  of  the  year,  and  each  is  evidently  produced  by  causes 
perfectly  natural,  and  need  not  be  attributed  to  tuition.  The 
first  occurs  in  the  commencement  of  the  summer,  when  the 
people,  after  a  separation  from  their  villages,  and  after  wander 
ing  in  an  unsettled  condition  during  the  cold  season,  commonly 
in  small  detached  parties,  return  to  plant  their  vegetables,  and 
to  commence  the  culture  of  their  small  patches.  The  second 
occurs  at  the  time  when  their  corn,  (maize,)  soft  in  the  ear,  be 
comes  eatable;  and  the  third  takes  place  after  they  have  gather 
ed  the  fruits  of  their  fields,  at  the  commencement  of  cold 
weather,  when  they  are  again  about  to  separate  on  their  winter's 
wandering.  They,  like  all  other  people,  are  social  beings,  and 
after  a  separation  from  kindred  and  acquaintances  eight  months, 
are  happy  to  see  each  other  at  the  common  place  of  annual 
meeting ;  and  from  the  same  principle  that  festive  parties  would 
be  induced  in  civilized  society,  under  circumstances  as  nearly 
similar  as  we  could  expect  to  occur,  the  Indians  collect,  to  talk, 
to  make  speeches,  to  eat,  beat  their  drums,  rattle  their  gourds, 
sing  and  dance.  Their  feasts,  or  dances,  one  appellation  being 
about  as  appropriate  as  the  other,  or  parties,  as  we  would  de 
nominate  them  if  they  occurred  among  ourselves,  happen  fre 
quently,  and  depend  on  the  disposition  of  an  individual  to  enjoy 
a  social  interview  with  his  friends.  But  a  festival  at  meeting  in 
the  spring  season  is  observed  as  a  national  affair.  A  second 
regular  national  meeting  is  expected  when,  after  the  season  of 
greatest  scarcity,  which  is  that  between  assembling  at.  the  vil 
lages  and  this  time,  they  can  gather  enough  from  their  fields  lor 


12 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


a  plentiful  feast ;  zest  is  given  to  this  occasion,  and  the  hilarity 
promoted  by  music,  dancing,  &ic.  In  the  autumn  they  again 
assemble  for  the  parties  to  take  leave  of  each  other,  and  that  a 
similar  feast  should  occur  is  perfectly  natural. 

Their  division  into  tribes  has  been  compared  to  the  patriarchal 
state  of  the  Hebrews.  But  this  division  is  a  necessary  conse 
quence  of  their  seeking  subsistence  chiefly  from  the  spontane 
ous  productions  of  nature,  so  that  whether  they  be  Israelites  or 
not,  the  division  into  tribes  and  the  existence  of  chieftaincies 
are  things  which  we  should  expect  to  find.  The  seeking  of  sup 
plies  from  the  chase,  or  from  spontaneous  vegetable  productions, 
necessarily  leads  to  a  division  into  parties,  and  the  division  into 
tribes  is  the  result  of  the  same  causes  operating  upon  a  larger 
scale,  and  dividing  them  into  bands  under  leading  chiefs.  A 
man  by  heirship  may  be  a  chief,  but  often  this  honour  is  attained 
because  in  the  first  instance  a  man  may  choose,  with  a  selected 
few,  to  separate  from  the  main  body  of  his  people,  on  account 
of  the  greater  facility  with  which  supplies  could  be  obtained 
for  a  small  company  than  for  a  large  one.  His  age  or  his  in 
dustry  secures  respect,  and  ultimately  he  becomes  an  acknow 
ledged  chief;  his  followers  sometimes  strengthen  their  number, 
and  from  a  small  band  grow  into  a  tribe. 

jThe  absence  of  idol  worship  among  the  aboriginal  tribes,  and 
their  belief  in  the  existence  of  God,  have  been  esteemed  striking 
proofs  that  they  were  the  descendants  of  Israel.  We  have  been 
astonished  to  notice  the  stress  which  has  been  laid  upon  this 
matter  by  many  ;  it  seems  to  us  that  a  little  reflection,  unin 
fluenced  by  some  of  the  dogmas  of  theology  which  were  in 
better  credit  a  century  ago  than  ought  to  be  awarded  them  in 
this  age  of  light,  would  make  it  apparent  that  idol  worship,  or 
a  disbelief  in  the  existence  of  God,  could  not  possibly  prevail 
among  any  people  in  the  condition  of  savage  Indian  tribes. 
These  have  no  regular  system  of  imparting  religious  instruction; 
the  Indian  is  the  pupil  of  nature;  his  religious  opinions  are 
natural ;  he  is  a  rational  being,  and  as  such  as  naturally  feels  that 
there  is  a  Creator  of  himself  and  of  the  wonders  by  which  he 
is  surrounded,  as  that  he  contemplates  any  other  matter.  To 
this  Almighty  Being  he  gives  such  a  name  as  appears  most  ap 
propriate,  the  Great  Spirit,  the  Father  of  Life,  our  Creator,  &c. 
He  acknowledges  his  superintending  providence,  and  endeavours 
to  secure  his  favourer  avert  his  displeasure,  by  such  a  sacrifice, 
offering,  or  gift,  as  he  fancies  will  be  most  acceptable.  He  feels 
his  own  accountability  to  God,  and  hence  believes  in  the  im 
mortality  of  the  soul  and  future  rewards  and  punishments.  This 


INTRODUCTORY   REMARKS. 


13 


he  believes,  not  because  he  has  been  taught  it,  either  by  tradi 
tion  or  otherwise,  but  because  God  has  made  him  a  rational 
being.  "  For  God  hath  showed  it  unto  them — for  the  invisible 
things  of  God,  from  the  creation  to  the  present  time,  being  evi 
dently  seen  and  their  existence  understood,  even  by  the  heathen, 
by  the  tangible  objects  of  creation,  even  the  i  eternal  power  and 
godhead'  is  believed,  so  that  the  savage  as  well  as  the  civilized 
sinner  is  without  excuse."* 

Infidelity,  whether  in  the  form  of  atheism,  deism,  or  idol 
worship,  is  a  folly  into  which  nature  or  common  sense  never 
did,  and  never  will  lead  a  man.  Let  man  follow  the  dictates 
of  common  sense,  and  he  feels  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that 
there  is  a  hereafter  in  which  his  soul  shall  be  rewarded  or 
punished  for  the  deeds  done  in  the  body.  Life,  in  connexion 
with  immortality,  or  a  holy  and  happy  immortality,  is  "brought 
to  light  through  the  Gospel,"  but  immortality  itself,  or  a  future 
state  of  existence,  is  the  natural  belief  of  man,  though  he  be  des 
titute  of  the  Gospel. 

The  Indians  have  not  time  to  attend  upon  religious  instruc 
tion;  their  precarious  habits  prevent  the  concocting  of  systems 
of  mythology  or  the  organization  of  a  priesthood.  To  these 
the  mind  of  depraved  man  is  prone  ;  and  so  far  as  the  Indians 
have  opportunity,  it  is  thus  misemployed  in  forming  systems, 
which  invariably  are  more  absurd  in  theory  and  of  more  cruel 
tendency  than  are  the  views  and  practices  of  such  as  have  less 
leisure.  Hence  upon  the  entrance  of  Europeans  into  Mexico, 
where  the  natives  were  found  in  larger  bodies,  and  were  more 
civilized  than  in  countries  farther  north,  there  was  the  sem 
blance  of  idol  worship.  Even  the  poorest  tribes  have  a  little 
leisure  to  think  and  talk  about  religious  things,  and  just  so  fat- 
as  time  and  circumstances  have  enabled  them  to  build  up  a  sys 
tem,  it  has  invariably  proved  to  be  composed  of  absurdities  in 
theory,  and  clothed  with  debasing  ceremonies. 

Man,  though  he  knows  God,  hates  holiness,  which  implies 
sanctified  affections  ;  and  hence,  when  he  feels  the  necessity  of 
pleasing  God,  he  devises  a  service  congenial  to  his  love  of  un- 
holiness.  With  his  predilections  for  unholiness,  he  starts  wrong, 
and  the  distance  that  he  diverges  from  truth  is  in  proportion 
to  the  extent  of  the  system  which  he  forms.  The  mythology 
of  the  Hindoos  leads  them  into  greater  absurdity  than  that  which 
attends  the  Indian.  But  place  the  Indians  in  circumstances 
which  would  enable  them  to  form  a  system  of  mythology,  and 
at  the  same  time  withhold  from  them  the  light  of  the  Bible, 

*  See  Romans  1—18,  19,  20,  21. 


14 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


and,  like  other  heathen,. they  would  not  stop  short  of  worship 
rendered  to  the  creature  instead  of  the  Creator.  It  appears  to 
me  that  nothing  of  the  kind  can  be  more. evident,  than  that  the 
absence  of  idol  worship  among  the  Indians  is  owing  to  their 
unsettled  habits. 

If  we  could  suppose  that  the  absence  of  idolatry  was  be 
cause  they  had  descended  from  the  Jews,  we  should  expect  to 
find  with  them  some  sentiment  of  dislike  to  idol  worship ;  but 
we  perceive  no  such  thing.  They  have  no  impressions  about 
idols,  either  for  or  against  them.  They  sometimes  pay  reli 
gious  adoration  to  the  sun,  to  the  elements,  or  to  a  mysterious 
production  of  nature ;  such,  for  instance,  as  the  curious  salt- 
spring,  on  Solomon  river  ;*  but  the  idea  never  enters  into  their 
head  that- matter,  which  is  completely  under  their  control,  is  to 
be  worshipped. 

Considerable  stress  has  been  laid  upon  the  traditions  of  the 
Indians,  some  of  which  have  been  thought  to  favour  the  idea  of 
their  descent  from  Israel ;  but;  it  is  probable  that  none  have  ever 
become  acquainted  with  the  traditions  of  any  tribe,  until  after 
the  tribe  had  derived  some  notions  of  Christianity  from  white 
men.  They  are,  in  their  original  state,  so  destitute  of  any  thing 
like  historical  knowledge,  that  they  would,  with  great  facility  y 
receive  an  impression  from  a  hint  respecting  the  creation,  the 
flood,  &c.  All  traditions  of  a  religious  cast,  which  are  not  ut 
terly  unworthy  of  notice,  savour  of  sentiments  which  evidently 
were  not  common  to  Indians  before  their  acquaintance  with  the 
whites. 

Nothing  can  be  more  opposite  to  fact  than  the  supposition, 
that  important  information  may  be  deduced  from  the  tradi 
tions  of  the  Indians,  either  in  matters  of  religion  or  of  history; 
and,  moreover,  many  of  the  Indian  traditions  of  which  the 
world  has  been  informed  have  been  manufactured  by  other 
people.  From  tradition  and  imaginary  hieroglyphics  among  the 
Indians  of  Mexico,  the  Abbe  D.  Francesco  Saverio  Clavigero 
wrote  the  history  of  those  nations,  commencing  with  generations 
before  the  discovery  of  the  New  World  by  the  Spaniards.  Now, 
one  who  will  make  himself  acquainted  with  the  Indians  at  their 
homes,  will  be  induced  to  believe  that  he  could,  with  equal  ac 
curacy,  compile  a  history  of  the  tribes  of  Missouri  from  the 
paintings  upon  the  buffalo  robes  which  we  get  from  them.  The 
same  kind  of  vanity  which  induced  the  conquerors  of  those 
countries  to  call  their  chiefs  emperors,  kings,  and  lords,  prompt 
ed  them  to  represent  that  the  natives  were  so  much  civilized 

*  See  an^  account  of  this  natural  curiosity  on  a  subsequent  page. 


INTRODUCTORY   REMARKS. 


15 


that  they  had  a  regular  system  of  hieroglyphics,  which  foreigners, 
without  instructors,  could  learn  to  decipher.  Since  we  have 
become  acquainted  with  the  Indians,  every  one  can  perceive 
that  what  they  termed  kings,  noblemen,  &c.,  were  only  what 
we  term  Indian  chiefs;  and  that  their  hieroglyphics  were  little, 
if  any  thing,  superior  to  the  marks  which  our  Indians  in  the  pre 
sent  day  use  to  distinguish  their  family,  their  clan,  or  their 
tribe,  or  their  freaks  of  fancy  in  painting  a  skin.  The  Spaniards' 
own  story  of  the  conquests  of  Mexico,  though  it  is  told  with 
the  design  of  conveying  the  idea  that  the  people  were  so  far 
civilized  that  regal  governments  were  organized,  and  kingdoms 
and  empires  formed,  nevertheless,  shows  that  they  were  at  best 
only  poor,  naked  savages.  Witness  the  victories  obtained  by 
a  handful  of  Spaniards  over  thousands,  and,  as  they  reported, 
tens  of  thousands  of  Indians.  Can  any  one  in  his  senses  be 
lieve  that  this  could  have  been  done,  if  those  people  had  risen 
materially  above  the  common  condition  of  unimproved  Indians? 
All  Indian  tribes,  in  their  original  condition,  have  been  found  to 
be  the  reverse  of  courageous  ;  yet  where  is  the  tribe  of  Indians 
in  the  recesses  of  our  vast  wilderness,  or  where  has  ever  been 
the  tribe,  since  a  faithful  historian  has  written,  that  could  be 
whipped  a  thousand  to  one,  as  the  Spaniards  say  they  whipped 
their  Indians  ? 

If  the  Mexicans  had  advanced  in  civilization  as  far  as  has 
been  represented  by  their  conquerors,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  they  would  have  discovered  the  art  of  manufacturing  iron, 
and  of  subjecting  animals  to  servile  purposes,  in  bearing  burdens 
or  in  draught.  They  were  surrounded  by  thousands  of  buf 
faloes  and  elks,  and  were  in  the  habit  of  using  their  flesh  for 
food  and  their  skins  for  clothing,  and  yet  they  had  never  sub 
jected  one  to  labour.  AH  wooden  materials  for  building  had  to 
be  prepared  without  an  edged  tool,  and  all,  whether  wood  or 
stone,  had  to  be  transported  to  the  place  of  building  by  human 
strength  alone. 

Hieroglyphics  and  tradition  were  the  guides  which  led  the 
Spanish,  and  some  other  visionary  writers,  back  into  ages  past, 
and  enabled  them  to  present  the  history  of  the  Aborigines  in  a 
form  more  easily  understood. 

That  little  reliance  can  safely  be  placed  upon  Indian  tradi 
tions  is  susceptible  of  demonstration.  Inquire  of  an  Indian 
what  were  the  circumstances  attending  the  first  acquaintance 
of  his  nation  with  white  men,  a  few  generations  past,  and  you 
will  find  him  exceedingly  deficient  in  knowledge,  and  wandering 
into  great  errour.  His  story  will  be  just  such  as  we  ought  to 


16  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 

expect  from  a  people  who  keep  no  records,  who  have  no  estab 
lished  system  of  giving  or  receiving  instruction,  and  who  are  not 
in  the  habit  of  burdening  their  minds  with  study  or  reflection. 

It  would  afford  us  pleasure  of  a  peculiar  character  to  be  able 
to  believe  that  the  aborigines  of  America  belong  to  the  select 
nation  which  claims  so  large  a  place  in  our  sacred  history.  It 
may  be  so:  none  desires,  and  most  certainly  none  will  ever  be 
able  to  prove  the  contrary — to  prove  that  they  are  not  Israelites. 
But  I  must  declare,  that  in  all  that  I  have  read,  or  heard,  or  seen, 
I  have  not  discovered  a  particle  of  evidence  that  carried  con 
viction  to  my  mind  that  they  were  of  that  family. 

It  is  most  rational  to  suppose  that  they  are  nearest  of  kin  to 
the  nations  nearest  to  them,  or  from  whom  a  passage  to  this 
country  would  appear  least  difficult,  either  by  accident  or  by 
design.  It  is,  therefore,  commonly  conjectured  that  they  ori 
ginally  came  to  the  American  continent  somewhere  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Bhering's  straits,  because  in  that  place  other 
lands  approach  near  to  this.  There  is  also  some  physical  re 
semblance  between  the  Asiatics  on  the  coast  nearest  to  us  and 
the  aborigines  of  our  country.  An  emigration  may  have  been 
designedly  effected  at  this  place.  But  it  is  most  probable  that 
this  country  was  peopled  by  accident.  If  a  company  had  vol 
untarily  emigrated  to  this  continent,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  they  would  have  brought  with  them  some  knowledge  of 
the  arts  of  civilised  life,  and  that  some  traces  of  the  existence 
of  such  knowledge  would  have  been  found  among  them  by 
Europeans.  A  knowledge  of  the  use  of  iron  would  hardly  have 
been  lost,  where  the  necessity  for  that  article  was  continually 
very  great,  and  in  a  country  abounding  with  iron  ore.  The  sub 
jecting  of  animals  to  servile  purposes  of  burden  or  draught 
would  have  been  resorted  to  if  they  had  landed  with  the  design 
of  forming  a  settlement. 

Rev.  Mr.  Parker,  a  Presbyterian  missionary  on  the  Columbia, 
informs  us  in  his  journal  of  an  exploring  tour  beyond  the  Rocky 
mountains,  that  in  March,  1833,  a  Japanese  junk  was  driven  to 
and  wrecked  upon  the  American  coast,  about  two  degrees  north 
of  the  Columbia  river.  Out  of  seventeen  persons,  only  three 
survived  the  wreck.  These  were  found  by  Captain  McNeil, 
of  the  Lama,  and  brought  to  Fort  Vancouver,  on  the  Columbia 
river,  and,  in  the  following  October,  were  sent  away  by  ship, 
with  the  design  of  restoring  them  to  their  country.*  It  is  also 

*  We  regret  that  our  author  has  not  stated  some  other  circumstances  at 
tending  this  affair,  which  would  have  enhanced  the  value-  of  his  information^ 
In  this  respect  his  account  of  this  matter  is  very  deficient. 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


17 


reported,  upon  good  authority,  that  other  vessels  belonging  to 
the  coast  of  Asia  have  been  forced  by  contrary  winds  to  some 
of  the  South  Sea  islands,  within  the  last  few  years.  These 
facts  confirm  the  probability  of  the  conjecture,  that  America 
was  first  peopled  by  accident.  Most  probably  a  vessel  at  sea 
was  forced  on  to  this  coast  from  the  nearer  parts  of  Asia. 

Some,  who  have  attempted  to  compare  Indian  languages, 
have  discovered  such  differences  as  to  induce  the  belief  that 
these  people  have  sprung  from  three  or  four  different  nations, 
and  hence  suppose  that  some  may  have  found  their  way  to  the 
continent  from  Greenland  and  elsewhere.  That  a  migration 
from  Greenland  is  possible,  none  will  doubt ;  but  few  can  con 
sider  it  probable  ;  and  we  feel  very  confident,  that  a  fair  in 
vestigation  would  not  furnish  any  evidence  in  favour  of  this 
hypothesis,  from  affinity  of  languages.  A  great  difference  in 
words  used  by  different  tribes,  to  express  the  same  ideas,  is 
known  to  exist,  but  we  feel  pretty  confident  that  the  construc 
tion  of  all  Indian  languages  is  essentially  the  same.  The  In 
dians  being  destitute  of  writings,  and  by  their  habits  of  obtaining 
subsistence  often  parted  asunder  in  small  bands,  each  of  which 
may  be  the  nucleus  of  a  tribe,  are  subject  to  rapid  mutations  of 
language. 

SEC.  2.  But  whether  the  aboriginal  tribes  all  sprang  from  the 
same  root,  or  from  various  companies,  it  is  evident  that  all  com 
menced  their  residence  in  America  under  similar  circumstances, 
and  have  continued  in  similar  circumstances  ever  since,  with 
the  exceptions  produced  by  the  presence  of  the  whites.  These 
circumstances  have  been  peculiar  to  themselves.  The  original 
condition  of  the  Indians  is  every  where  virtually  the  same,  and 
in  all  places  different  from  that  of  any  other  people  ever  known 
in  the  world.  In  speculations,  which  were  rather  idle  than  use 
ful,  we  have  sometimes  been  told  of  the  advances  which  man 
has  made  from  a  barbarous  to  a  civilized  state,  and  step  after 
step  has  been  pointed  out,  as  though  civilized  nations  had  risen 
from  this  barbarism  ;  when  the  truth  is,  that  no  nation,  since  the 
world  was  made,  excepting  the  aboriginal  tribes  of  our  conti 
nent,  ever  existed  in  the  barbarous  state  supposed.  Adam  and 
his  sons  were  not  in  this  barbarous  condition — Cain  was  an 
agriculturist,  and  Abel  a  shepherd.  Noah  and  his  family  left 
the  ark  and  entered  upon  similar  pursuits.  And  ever  since,  the 
most  barbarous  nations  have  had  domesticated  animals,  have 
known  the  use  of  iron,  and  in  some  other  respects  have  been 
superiour  to  the  lowest  state  of  barbarous  existence. 

The  aborigines  of  this  continent  had  no  domestic  animals 


18 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


except  their  clogs,  which  so  nearly  resemble  the  wolf  as  to  justify 
the  belief  that  they  are  of  the  same  species.  They  manufac 
tured  no  metals  and  no  cloths.  The  world  before  them  afforded 
room  for  them  to  obtain  subsistence  chiefly  or  entirely  from  the 
spontaneous  productions  of  the  earth  and  the  waters,  and  they 
never  adopted  any  mode,  or  invented  any  thing  which  was  not 
essentially  necessary  in  their  mode  of  obtaining  subsistence. 
They  did  not  study  the  improvement  of  mind,  because  the  man 
would  be  as  expert  a  hunter  if  left  to  grow  up  to  maturity  un 
der  the  guidance  of  his  necessities,  as  if  he  were  trained  to  the 
studies  of  a  philosopher.  The  cultivation  of  the  earth  was  re 
sorted  to  so  far  only  as  was  necessary  to  supply  the  deficiency 
of  the  chase  or  other  sources  of  subsistence,  and  their  efforts  in 
mechanic  arts  extended  no  further  than  their  simple  mode  of 
living  positively  required. 

In  the  commencement  of  this  wild  career  of  savage  life,  we 
contemplate  human  beings  left,  for  the  first  time  since  the  crea 
tion  of  man,  in  a  state  of  nature.  Fancy  portrays  them  strug 
gling  through  the  waves  to  an  unknown  shore,  and  perhaps 
separated  forever  from  companions  which  still  cling  to  the  wreck 
of  their  ship,  or  have  sunk  in  the  deep  to  rise  no  more.  No 
human  voice  tells  them  where  they  are,  to  what  dangers  they 
are  exposed,  or  what  methods  to  adopt  to  preserve  their  exist 
ence.  "  Here  man  begins  a  state  of  existence  as  if  in  another 
world,  where  all  is  unknown  except  the  brook  at  which  he 
slakes  his  thirst ;  without  an  implement  of  iron  to  fell  a  tree, 
to  till  the  ground,  to  butcher  an  animal  of  the  forest  for  food,  or 
to  catch  a  fish  in  the  waters,  or  even  to  dig  a  root  from  the 
earth  ;  no  spinning-wheel  or  loom  on  which  to  manufacture  a 
garment,  and  no  seed-corn  from  the  mother  country.*  They 
have  every  thing  to  learn  ;  and  the  brevity  of  life  (especially 
under  the  calamities  of  this  new  state  of  things)  soon  deprives 
this  destitute  race  of  profitable  recollections  of  the  arts  of  life  of 
the  mother  country.  No  book  of  record  preserves  the  story,  or 
encourages  succeeding  generations  to  improve  their  condition, 
by  telling  them  of  what  is  done  in  other  lands.  Tradition  alone 
tells  of  the  past ;  but  with  them  no  regular  institutions  exist  to 
preserve  the  veracity  of  tradition,"  and  all  the  past  becomes 
shrouded  in  obscurity,  which  increases  with  the  distance  of  time. 
Nature  would  not  postpone  her  demands :  they  must  eat,  and  a 
sufficiency  could  only  be  obtained  by  the  application  of  all  their 
mental  and  physical  energies ;  and  it  is  probable  that,  by  the 

*  Maize,  or  Indian  corn,  was  indigenous  and  peculiar  to  America.  The 
small  grains,  such  as  wheat,  rye,  &c.,  have  been  brought  from  other  coun 
tries  to  this. 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


19 


time  that  experience  in  their  new  modes  of  living  had  become 
such  as  to  afford  occasionally  a  little  leisure,  their  anxieties  and 
sufferings  had  reduced  them  to  the  condition  in  which  they  were 
discovered  by  Europeans. 

This  must  have  always  been  a  state  of  great  hardship  and 
suffering.  Nevertheless,  it  was  evidently  a  tolerable  state,  be 
cause  under  it  the  people  must  have  increased  from  a  few  to 
millions.  So  far  as  we  have  data  in  this  case,  their  numerical 
decline  commenced  with  their  first  acquaintance  with  white 
men,  and  that  decline  has  been  continuous  with  all  tribes  who 
have  intercourse  with  the  whites.  And  since  all  tribes,  or  nearly 
all,  on  the  continent,  have  formed  some  acquaintance  with  the 
whites,  all  are  thus  declining.  The  exceptions  applicable  to 
some  of  the  emigrant  tribes  within  the  Indian  territory,  will  be 
noticed  hereafter. 

Much  that  has  been  said  of  the  condition  and  habits  of  the 
Indians  is  fabulous.  The  world  is  too  much  inclined  to  suppose 
that  there  are  some  traits  in  Indian  character  peculiar  to  that 
race,  and  which  might  not  exist  with  others,  though  they  were 
placed  in  similar  circumstances;  and  writers  too  often,  for  rea 
sons  not  obscure,  endeavour  to  frame  their  story  so  as  to  suit 
this  morbid  taste  for  the  romantic.  Facts  declare  that  the  In 
dians  are  only  what  others  would  have  been,  had  they  been 
placed  in  similar  circumstances — neither  better  nor  worse,  nei 
ther  more  nor  less  wise,  or  virtuous  or  vicious,  than  others,  and 
naturally  no  more  attached  to  hunting  OP  war  than  others.  In 
a  word,  they  are  precisely  what  we  should  reasonably  expect  to 
find  them. 

It  is  not  our  business  now  to  write  a  history  of  the  Indians, 
We  shall  attempt  nothing  more  than  a  correction,  so  far  as  our 
limits  will  allow,  of  such  prevailing  mistakes  in  regard  to  Indian 
character  as  evidently  hinder  their  improvement. 

1st.  The  Indian  is  represented  to  be  exceedingly  taciturn, 
and  of  phlegmatic  temperament,  so  that  he  is  seldom  aroused 
into  cheerful  conversation  by  the  most  animating  circumstances, 
and  cannot  be  induced  to  notice  with  interest  magnificence  in 
any  form  in  civilized  life. 

With  regard  to  loquacity  and  cheerfulness,  precisely  the  re 
verse  of  the  above  representation  is  the  fact.  Among  them 
selves  they  are  as  cheerful  as  any  people  upon  earth,  excepting 
when  severely  oppressed  with  want;  and  even  then,  if  they  are 
not  cheerful,  they  are  patient.  So  far  from  being  taciturn,  they 
are  rather  loquacious  than  otherwise  ;  they  not  only  detail  facts, 


20 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


but,  like  other  depraved  people,  run  into  romance.*  They  re 
late  anecdotes  for  amusement,  and  appear  to  enjoy  themselves 
well  in  this  kind  of  sociality,  as  is  evinced  by  frequent  and  loud 
peals  of  laughter.  They  have  their  improper  as  well  as  their 
proper  amusements.  Of  the  former,  are  racing,  playing  at  games 
of  chance,  and  dancing.  In  these  they  greatly  indulge  when 
their  circumstances  bring  considerable  numbers  into  the  same 
place. 

That  they  should  not  manifest  surprise  or  wonder  at  what  we 
deem  magnificent  is  perfectly  natural.  Take,  for  example,  a 
splendid  edifice.  You  admire  the  workmanship,  because  your 
thoughts  have  been  turned  more  or  less  to  the  erection  of  build 
ings,  or  to  their  convenience  and  elegance.  The  Indian,  who 
has  never  aspired  to  any  thing  more  substantial  or  elegant  than 
a  fragile  and  temporary  hut  of  bark,  or  of  skins  or  flags,  does 
not  class  your  objects  of  admiration  with  those  of  his  own.  But 
show  the  Indian  something  wonderful  in  his  line  of  things,  and 
you  will  find  that  his  soul  is  tempered  like  your  own.  The 
philosopher  gazes  with  rapt  astonishment  upon  the  starry  hea 
vens,  while  others  contemplate  them  with  little  more  interest 
than  they  do  the  ceiling  of  their  room. 

The  supposed  dulness  of  the  Indians  has  been  assigned  as  an 
obstacle  to  their  improvement,  when  no  such  dulness  belongs 
to  Indian  character. 

2d.  The  aborigines  have  been  supposed  to  be  strongly  pre 
disposed  to  the  pursuits  of  hunting  and  war.  The  world  has 
long  been  taught  to  believe  that  so  strong  were  their  predilec 
tions  for  these  pursuits,  that  it  was  almost  or  quite  impossible 
for  civil  institutions  to  direct  the  mind,  even  of  Indian  youth, 
in  any  other  channel.  A  greater  mistake  than  this  could  hardly 
be  conceived.  Fearless  of  successful  contradiction,  we  aver 
that  the  supposition  is  unphilosophical  and  at  variance  with  facts: 
that  Indian  youths  early  receive  impressions  which  incline  them 
to  the  pursuits  of  the  chase,  none  pretends  to  question;  but  these 
impressions  are  made  by  the  hunting  habits  of  the  people  with 
whom  they  mingle,  and  are  not  innate.  The  son  of  a  black 
smith,  on  becoming  able  to  lift  a  hammer,  might  choose  to  use 
it,  because  it  was  the  business  of  his  father,  and  one,  the  opera 
tion  of  which  he  had  witnessed  from  his  first  recollections.  But 
who  ever  heard  of  a  race  of  men  who  came  into  the  world  with 
so  strong  a  propensity  to  work  in  iron  that  it  was  almost  or  quite 
impracticable  to  induce  them  to  follow  other  trades  ?  And  who 

*  See  a  subsequent  page. 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


21 


would  not  brand  with  absurdity  the  supposition  that  an  Indian 
child  was  born  with  an  inveterate  predisposition  to  hunting  or 
war?  The  absurdity  is  too  glaring  to  require  argument  to  ex 
pose  it ;  and  yet,  absurd  as  it  may  be,  it  would  seem  that  a  large 
majority  of  those  that  can  find  time  to  think  of  the  Indians,  be 
lieve  it  to  be  true.  Some  of  our  most  scientific  countrymen 
have  published  these  opinions,  and  the  people,  without  consider 
ation,  have  generally  adopted  them.  Certainly  "  a  sober  second 
thought"  would  make  the  former  blush  on  account  of  publishing 
opinions  which  the  most  common  capacity  can  perceive  are  re 
pugnant  to  reason,  and  well  known  matters  of  fact ;  and  the  lat 
ter  to  feel  ashamed  of  their  credulity.  Indian  children,  taken 
into  our  schools  before  they  have  received  impressions  from  the 
habits  of  their  kindred,  manifest  no  more  fondness  for  the  bow 
than  the  white  children  with  whom  they  mingle;  they  adopt 
the  same  amusements  with  equal  facility  ;  and  every  body  knows 
that  white  youths,  taken  captive  by  the  Indians,  easily  adopt  the 
habits  of  their  captors,  and  become  assimilated  to  them;  prov 
ing  to  demonstration  that  there  is  naturally  no  difference  between 
the  natural  propensities  of  the  white  and  the  red  man. 

The  Indian  directs  his  attention  to  hunting  or  fishing,  to  dig 
ging  roots,  gathering  wild  fruits  or  .plants,  or  peeling  the  tender 
and  juicy  bark  of  trees,  for  food.  As  his  necessities  command 
his  attention  to  one  or  more  of  these  pursuits,  his  thoughts  and 
conversation  dwell  more  upon  them  than  upon  other  branches 
of  the  business  of  life,  for  the  same  reason  that  the  agriculturist 
thinks  of  his  farm,  and  the  merchant  of  his  merchandise.  No 
thing  can  be  more  obvious  than  that  Indians  have  naturally  no 
uncommon  fondness  for  hunting — they  are  not  born  hunters  in 
disposition,  but  are  made  so  by  surrounding  circumstances ;  and 
hence,  a  change  of  circumstances  would  be  followed  by  a 
change  of  habits. 

Of  similar  character  is  the  silly  supposition  that  the  Indians 
are  strongly  predisposed  to  war.  Why  should  we  think  so  ?  It 
would  be  as  absurd  to  suppose  that  Indian  children  carne  into 
the  world  with  a  peculiar  passion  for  war,  as  to  suppose  that 
they  were  born  hunters  in  miniature,  or  that  white  children 
were  born  cobblers  or  tinkers.  If  the  Indians  are  a  warlike  peo 
ple,  they  are  made  so  by  extraneous  causes,  and  not  hereditarily. 
But  the  Indians  are  not  a  warlike  people.  The  whole  history 
of  our  settlements  in  America,  and  of  our  operations  in  forcing 
them  from  their  countries,  to  which  they  were  strongly  attached, 
shows  that  they  were  not  a  warlike  people.  By  degrees  the 
tribes  near  the  white  settlements  acquired  courage  to  fight,  until 


22 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


their  yell  became  dreadful  to  their  invaders;  but  the  Indian  in  his 
original  condition  is  precisely  the  reverse  of  what  he  has  been 
represented  to  be.  A  few  Spaniards  could  enter  their  country, 
and  enslave  and  butcher  their  hundreds  of  thousands.  If  the 
natives  had  been  as  courageous  as  civilized  white  men  usually 
are,  the  task  of  destroying  their  invaders  with  sticks  or  stones 
would  have  been  easy.  All  along  the  coast  of  the  Atlantic, 
small  companies  of  Europeans  planted  settlements ;  the  natives 
invariably,  sooner  or  later,  resisted  their  encroachments;  but 
their  want  of  success,  with  their  vast  advantages  of  numbers, 
proved  that  they  were  neither  disposed  nor  accustomed  to  hard 
fighting. 

That  the  aborigines  in  their  original  condition  are  not  a  war 
like  people,  we  have  at  this  time  positive  evidence  close  at  hand, 
in  a  comparison  of  the  unimproved  indigenous  tribes  between 
the  white  settlements  and  the  Rocky  mountains,  with  our  roving 
frontier  citizens,  or  with  the  tribes  which  have  long  resided  near 
the  whites.  Hundreds  of  these  Indians  at  a  time,  well  mounted 
upon  horse,  and  equipped  for  battle  with  gun,  bow,  and  shield,* 
have  attacked,  without  success,  comparatively  small  caravans  of 
traders  returning  from  Santa  Fe  to  the  State  of  Missouri.  They 
commonly  contrive  to  rush  suddenly  upon  the  caravan,  coming 
at  full  speed,  with  a  front  as  widely  extended  as  their  numbers 
justify-,  hallooing,  and  exhibiting  an  appearance  as  frightful  as 
possible,  in  the  hope  of  frightening  the  animals  of  the  caravan, 
and  throwing  the  company  into  disorder ;  but  on  discovering  that 
the  assailed  are  not  to  be  driven  from  their  places  by  their  im 
petuous  onset,  they  wheel  and  retreat  before  coming  near  enough 
either  to  kill  or  to  be  killed.  In  one  instance  nine  men,  who 
had  gone  about  eight  miles  from  the  company,  were  approach 
ed  by  sixty  Pawnees  and  Camanches,  in  open  prairie.  The 
assailed  found  nothing  to  shelter  them  from  their  assailants  but  a 
little  unevenness  of  ground  occasionally,  and  their  enemies  had 
not  the  courage  to  surround  and  take  them,  and  all  safely  re 
joined  their  company.  Three  Shawanoes,  not  far  from  the  same 
period,  followed  a  company  going  to  Santa  Fe,  with  a  view  of 
joining  it.  They  were  attacked  by  more  than  three  times  their 
number  of  Pawnees.  The  former  found  a  small  grove  or 
thicket,  in  which  they  sheltered  and  defended  themselves  until 
night  afforded  them  an  opportunity  of  leaving  the  place  unhurt, 

*  An  Indian's  shield  in  a  piece  of  raw  buffalo  hide,  divested  of  the  hair, 
and  round,  about  twenty  inches  in  diameter.  The  arm  passes  under  leather 
thongs  fastened  on  one  side,  by  which  means  it  is  held  in  a  proper  position  to 
nhield  the  person  from  arrows  or  bullets,  the  force  of  which  it  would  in  com 
mon  repel. 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS.  23 

when  they  returned  and  brought  a  scalp,  which  they  had  taken 
from  the  Pawnees.  The  Shawanoes,  like  many  other  tribes,  have 
been  near  neighbours  to  the  whites  ever  since  the  settlement  of 
the  latter  in  America,  and  on  this  account  have  acquired  the 
feelings  which  arm  men  with  courage  in  deathful  contests  with 
their  fellow  men. 

The  Kauzaus  and  the  Pawnees  have  been  at  war  from  time 
immemorial.  The  former  reside  on  the  Kauzau  river,  and  the 
settlements  of  the  latter  commence  on  the  same  river,  less  than 
one  hundred  miles  above  them.  The  intervening  country  is 
open  level  prairie,  without  mountain,  marsh,  or  water,  to  obstruct 
a  passage  from  one  tribe  to  the  other.  The  Kauzaus  number 
only  about  seventeen  or  eighteen  hundred  souls,  and  the  Paw 
nees  about  ten  thousand.  The  latter  are  sufficiently  numerous 
to  surround  the  Kauzau  villages  and  cut  them  all  off,  and  thus 
at  once  rid  themselves  of  their  troublesome  neighbours.  But 
in  doing  this  they  would  necessarily  encounter  some  danger  and 
lose  some  lives,  and  therefore  the  Kauzaus  are  permitted  to 
live,  though  not  a  year  elapses  without  mutual  depredations 
upon  each  other's  property,  and  the  loss  of  a  few  lives  on  both 
sides. 

Evidences  are  almost  endless  that  the  Indians  in  their  original 
state  are  not  a  warlike  people — they  are  not  as  much  inclined 
to  war  as  civilized  man  is,  and  as  they  advance  in  civilization 
they  become  more  courageous  in  contending  for  their  rights, 
whether  real  or  supposed.  The  time  has  come  for  us  to  un 
derstand  facts  in  regard  to  the  Indians.  We  have  been  too  long 
deluded  and  amused  with  false  theories  and  romantic  stories 
about  the  aboriginal  tribes ;  and  even  at  this  time  fictions  are 
crowded  upon  public  credulity,  under  the  name  of  truth,  served 
up  to  the  taste  of  the  novelist.  When  the  true  character  of 
the  Indians  comes  to  be  drawn,  even  from  the  showing  of  the 
visionary  historians  who  have  laboured  to  produce  a  different 
impression,  how  exceedingly  foolish  their  pages  will  appear, 
in  which  they  have  described  in  glowing  colours  the  propensity 
of  the  Indians  for  war !  and  how  ridiculous  will  be  the  attitude 
of  those  who  predict  the  failure  of  all  efforts  to  improve  the 
condition  of  the  Indians,  because  their  supposed  fondness  for 
hunting  and  war  is  unconquerable ! 

Our  limits  will  not  allow  us  to  enlarge  upon  this  subject,  but 
as  great  stress  has  been  laid  upon  the  opinions  we  oppose — as 
they  have  long  and  almost  universally  prevailed — as  they  have 
furnished  heroes  for  romance  and  pictures  for  fancy — as  they 
have  been  the  ground  of  apology  for  oppression,  and  a  pretext 


24 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


for  withholding  justice — as  they  have  produced  an  impression 
that  this  portion  of  human  beings  are  in  their  minds  radically 
different  from  all  other  human  beings,  so  that  like  causes  opera 
ting  upon  them  will  not  produce  effects  like  those  produced 
upon  others,  and  hence  Christians  excuse  themselves  for  not 
applying  the  golden  rule,  of  doing  to  others  as  they  would  desire 
others  to  do  unto  them,  and  thus  withhold  the  blessings  of  the 
Bible  from  the  Indians,  who  are  perishing  by  their  side,  we  de 
sire  to  be  distinctly  heard,  and  understood,  and  noticed,  upon 
this  subject.  Here,  then,  we  declare,  that  the  Indian  is  natu 
rally  no  more  inclined  to  hunting  than  men  of  other  nations 
placed  in  similar  circumstances ;  and  he  is  LESS  inclined  to  war 
than  men  who  are  more  civilized  than  he.  In  confirmation  of 
the  truth  of  this  declaration  we  appeal  to  the  whole  history  of 
the  intercourse  of  white  men  with  the  Indians,  although  the 
whole  has,  perhaps,  been  written  under  the  belief,  or  with  the 
design  to  produce  or  foster  the  belief,  that  the  contrary  of  what 
we  declare  was  true.  As  soon  as  the  reader  divests  himself  of 
the  impression  that  there  is  something  queer  in  the  Indian 
character,  and  settles  in  his  own  mind  that  all  human  beings 
must  necessarily  be  the  same  kind  of  beings,  he  wrill  discover 
from  the  history  of  Indian  intercourse,  to  which  we  have  ap 
pealed,  that  the  Indian  has  been  misrepresented.  Surely  when 
we  reflect  upon  this  subject  philosophically,  the  absurdity  of  the 
statements  and  theories,  the  truth  of  which  we  deny,  will  appear 
so  glaring  that  there  will  be  few  who  will  not  regret  that  they 
had  prevailed,  and  wish  that  they  could  be  obliterated,  and  not 
transmitted  to  posterity,  to  produce  in  them  such  feelings,  in  re 
gard  to  us  and  generations  which  preceded  us,  as  we  realize  in 
regard  to  blue  laws  and  other  indications  of  the  foibles  and  mis 
takes  of  our  forefathers. 

The  Indian,  instead  of  being  a  taciturn,  dull  being,  inclined 
only  to  hunting  and  war,  as  he  has  been  represented,  is,  when 
not  oppressed  with  suffering,  cheerful  and  conversable.  This  is 
precisely  what  we  ought  to  expect  to  observe  among  them ;  be 
cause,  elsewhere,  we  find  the  spheres  which  are  least  improved 
and  refined  are  most  inclined  to  cheerfulness  and  talk.  He  is 
no  more  inclined  to  the  chase  than  the  wrhite  man  who,  having 
been  made  a  prisoner  in  youth,  has  grown  up  by  his  side.  He 
is  less  disposed  to  war  than  others,  and  meets  an  enemy  with 
greater  dread  than  men  more  civilized.  Sanguinary  contests 
are  seldom,  and  when  they  do  occur  it  is  when  one  party  has 
greatly  the  advantage  of  the  other.  Usually  their  wars  are 
carried  on  without  great  sacrifices  of  life,  according  to  the 


INTRODUCTORY   REMARKS*  &<J 

example  furnished  above  in  reference  to  the  Kauzaus  and  Paw 
nees. 

We  find,  therefore,  in  the  Indian  nothing  peculiar — his  habits 
are  formed  by  his  circumstances.  Like  other  people,  he  is 
susceptible  of  impressions,  and  these  may  be  made  by  the  same 
means  that  are  employed  in  reference  to  others,  and  with  equal 
success. 

SEC.  3.  There  is  among  them  little  order  or  regularity  in 
reference  to  any  thing.  Their  departure  from  and  return  to 
their  villages  are  directed  by  the  seasons.  There  are  some  rules 
observed  in  relation  to  games  and  dances,  the  ceremony  of 
adoption,  the  making  of  an  atonement  for  crime,  &c.,  and 
there  exists  a  semblance  of  order  in  reference  to  chieftaincies, 
the  conduct  of  councils,  and  retaliation  for  murder.  The  pub 
lic  have  heard  much  said  of  their  modes  of  courtship  and  their 
ceremonies  of  marriage.  We  have  been  sorry  to  see  some  of 
these  accounts  inserted  in  our  religious  newspapers;  and  one 
such  has  recently  come  before  the  public,  which  belongs  to  a 
course  of  lectures,  which  are  being  delivered  in  many  cities  in 
America  and  in  Europe,  on  Indian  manners,  and  attended  by 
exhibitions.  Here  the  young  man  who  desires  a  partner  is 
made  to  whistle  on  a  wooden  instrument  prepared  for  the  pur 
pose.  This  is  understood  by  others,  and  negotiations  between 
parents  and  parties  follow,  until  the  nuptials  are  completed  ac 
cording  to  rule  or  custom.  This  makes  a  pretty  good  story,  but 
its  misfortune  is,  that  it  is  altogether  fabulous.  We  have  been 
more  than  twenty  years  among  the  Indians,  and  have  formed  an 
acquaintance  with  more  than  twenty  tribes.  We  have  inquired 
of  missionaries  and  others  in  the  Indian  country,  and  of  the  In 
dians  themselves,  and  desired  them  to  state  when  or  where  a 
marriage  with  any  kind  of  ceremony  ever  took  place  among  the 
Indians,  unless  prompted  by  a  desire  tq  imitate  the  customs  of 
their  civilized  neighbours,  and  we  have  never  yet  heard  of  one 
single  instance  of  the  kind.  We  have  often  seen  and  heard  the 
Indian's  flute,  on  which  our  celebrated  lecturer  makes  the  lover 
play  his  wooing  notes,  but,  excepting  when  the  flute  is  played 
for  innocent  amusement,  it  is  employed  by  a  worthless  fellow, 
who,  if  he  attract  company,  finds  it  suited  to  his  own  charac 
ter,  and  such  as  a  common  share  of  self-respect,  even  among 
savages,  would  leach  a  man  to  shun. 

As  might  be  expected  among  a  people  in  the  condition  of  the 
Indians,  the  obligations  of  marriage  are  supposed  to  be  exceed 
ingly  lax.  The  parties  come  together  without  ceremony,  and 
when  either  becomes  tired  of  the  connexion,  they  separate  with 

4 


26 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS, 


equal  facility.  The  child  remains  subject  to  the  control  of  the 
parent  only  as  long  as  it  may  choose. 

They  are  without  law.  Theft  and  murder,  and  other  crimes, 
are  not  punishable,  only  as  an  avenger  chooses  to  retaliate  upon 
the  aggressor. 

In  this  condition  they  were  discovered  by  Europeans.  The 
latter  seeing  many  places  at  which  Indians  had  once  resided, 
left  destitute  of  inhabitants,  supposed  that  the  neighbouring 
tribes  had  once  been  much  more  numerous  than  they  were  at 
that  time — but  of  this  there  is  no  evidence.  The  story  of  a 
fatal  disease  having  nearly  depopulated  large  districts  in  the  re 
gions  of  New-England,  a  short  time  before  the  landing  of  the 
Pilgrims  of  Plymouth,  is  improbable,  and  the  mistake  is  easily 
accounted  for  by  all  who  are  acquainted  with  the  Indians  in  their 
own  country.  Their  necessities  often  compel  them  to  change 
the  locations  of  settlements. 

The  supposition  that  they  had  either  been  preceded  by  a 
more  civilized  people,  or  had  themselves  degenerated  from  a 
more  civilized  state,  is  also  unfounded.  Ancient  mounds,  forti 
fications,  and  other  indications  of  the  residence  of  human  beings, 
made  probably  centuries  before  the  sprouting  of  our  oldest  oaks, 
show  that  they  were  made  by  savage  and  not  by  civilized  men. 
Hewn  stones  are  not  found ;  but  stone,  when  used,  is  as  it  was 
taken  from  the  brook  or  loose  quarry.  In  their  construction 
there  is  not  a  nearer  approximation  to  order  in  arrangement 
than  would  suggest  itself  to  a  savage  mind.  Indians  erect  their 
huts  in  their  villages  without  regard  to  the  order  which  would 
produce  streets.  They  are  placed  promiscuously,  as  leaves  fall 
from  the  trees,  and  they  never  plant  their  corn  or  other  vegeta 
bles  in  rows.  Similar  indications  of  indifference  to  order  charac 
terize  the  ancient  works  to  which  we  have  alluded.  All  which 
prove  that  our  modern  Indians  are  really  the  aboriginal  race, 
and  that  they  never  had  been  more  civilized  than  they  were 
when  we  first  became  acquainted  with  them. 

We  have  never  heard  of  a  skeleton  being  found  in  one  of 
those  ancient  mounds,  with  which  was  connected  any  marks  of 
civilized  man.  Native  copper  ornaments,  and  trinkets  of  shells, 
&c.,  are  sometimes  discovered  with  the  skeleton,  showing  that 
the  habits  of  those  people  were  the  same  as  those  of  our  modern 
Indians.  They  are  still  fond  of  such  ornaments,  and  are  in  the 
habit  of  placing  such  things,  and  weapons  of  war,  &c.,  in  the 
grave  with  the  dead. 

Some  have  supposed  that  the  number  and  magnitude  of  those 
mounds  are  such  as  to  indicate  the  existence  of  a  race  of  men 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


27 


more  industrious  than  our  modern  Indians.  But  in  regard  to 
this,  it  is  evident  that  conclusions  have  been  drawn  too  hastily. 
A  little  reflection  will  show  that  the  amount  of  labour  required 
in  their  erection  did  not  surpass  the  common  industry  of  the 
savages.  Suppose  a  mound  to  be  forty  feet  in  diameter  at  its 
base,  and  to  rise  by  steps,  one  foot  in  height  and  a  foot  and  a 
half  in  depth,  to  the  height  of  thirteen  feet,  with  a  level  surface 
on  the  summit  four  feet  in  diameter.  It  would  contain  about 
six  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-three  cubic  feet  of  earth, 
or  a  fraction  less  than  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  cubic  yards. 
To  deposite  on  the  mound  one  cubic  yard  of  earth,  would  be  a 
moderate  day's  labour  for  one  man.  Therefore  the  erection  of 
the  mound  under  consideration  would  employ  two  hundred  and 
thirty -one  persons  one  day  only.  Among  the  Indians,  the 
women  would  perform  as  much  of  this  kind  of  work  as  the  men, 
or  perhaps  more,  and  more  than  twice  this  number  of  persons 
able  to  labour  are  frequently  at  one  village,  or  one  encamp 
ment.  It  is  probable  that  the  custom  of  mound  building  existed 
several  centuries.  If  so,  we  shall  only  be  surprised  that  they 
are  not  more  numerous.  Either  the  uses  to  which  they  were 
appropriated  did  not  require  them  to  be  greatly  multiplied,  or  the 
people  were  not  tenacious  of  the  ceremonies  connected  with 
them,  or  they  were  too  much  averse  to  labour  to  increase  their 
number.  Within  the  Indian  Territory  we  have  ninety-four 
thousand  inhabitants ;  one  fifth  of  these,  or  more,  are  competent 
to  labour.  This  gives  eighteen  thousand  eight  hundred  labourers ; 
if  each  of  these  would,  in  the  course  of  twelve  months,  bestow 
only  as  much  labour  on  the  erection  of  mounds  as  would  amount 
to  one  day,  eighty-one  mounds  would  be  built  in  one  year. 
And  if  the  work  should  progress  at  the  same  rate,  with  an  equal 
number  of  inhabitants,  three  centuries,  twenty-four  thousand 
three  hundred  mounds  would  be  constructed  within  the  Indian 
Territory.  This  would  be  more,  by  a  great  many  thousands, 
than  have  ever  been  found  within  an  equal  area.  A  few  reflec 
tions  of  this  kind  must  satisfy  any  one  that  the  supposition  that 
such  a  people  as  our  Indians  could  not  have  erected  those 
mounds,  on  account  of  their  aversion  to  labour,  is  entirely 
groundless. 

There  is  another  fact  in  relation  to  this  subject,  which,  if  pro 
perly  weighed,  would  clear  it  of  much  perplexity.  Very  many 
of  the  large  mounds  reported  to  be  artificial  are  not  so,  and  upon 
examination  would  appear  to  be  natural.  Many  of  those  natu 
ral  mounds  have  probably  been  improved  by  the  labour  of  man, 
In  those  vast  prairies  of  the  Indian  Territory,  artificial  mounds 


XO  INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 

are  exceedingly  rare,  but  natural  mounds  of  an  imposing  ap 
pearance  are  very  numerous,  many  of  which  rise  one  hundred 
feet  or  more  from  the  level  of  their  base.  The  appearance  of 
these,  in  their  distinct  form  and  isolated  situation,  is  often  such 
that  the  observer  can  scarcely  resist  the  belief  that  they  have 
been  formed  by  the  hands  of  man. 

We  are  also  prone  to  run  into  wild  conjectures  concerning 
the  purposes  for  which  these  mounds  were  erected.  That  they 
were  either  watch-towers  or  defences  is  too  unreasonable  to  be 
supposed:  neither  their  construction  nor  their  locality  favour, 
in  the  remotest  degree,  any  such  hypothesis.  If  we  will 
suppose  that  the  mound  builders  observed  some  such  forms  of 
worship  as  prevailed  among  the  heathen  in  the  days  of  Moses, 
and  for  about  five  hundred  years  afterwards,  all  becomes  easy. 
In  those  days  there  was  a  strong  and  widely  prevailing  pro 
pensity  to  worship  in  high  places,  to  which  the  Scriptures  refer 
more  than  forty  times.  Those  high  places  were,  no  doubt,  arti 
ficial,  because  they  were  frequently  demolished,  and  it  was  a 
righteous  act  to  destroy  them.  I  think  we  have  good  reason  to 
believe  that  our  mounds  were  formed  for  religious  purposes,  like 
those  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures,  and  that  more  or  fewer  of  the 
dead  were  buried  in  them  we  know  from  examinations  which 
have  been  made. 

In  view  of  the  whole  matter,  we  shall  discover  nothing  at 
variance  with  the  supposition  that  those  mounds  were  erected 
by  the  Indians,  and  when  they  were  in  a  condition  similar  to 
that  in  which  Europeans  first  discovered  them. 

SEC.  4.  It  is  not  probable  that  much  had  been  thought  or  said 
among  the  Indians  about  metes  and  bounds  of  country,  before 
the  formation  of  white  settlements,  because  all  had  so  much  room 
as  to  render  it  unnecessary.  Nevertheless,  the  tribes  occupied 
countries  which  they  respectively  considered  their  own,  and  upon 
which  others  could  not  intrude  without  a  supposed  trespass. 
It  was  esteemed  the  province  of  each  to  roam  or  rest  within 
its  own  country.  We  must  not  suppose  that  because  the  In 
dians  were  in  their  villages  in  summer,  and  the  residue  of  the 
year  were  roving  or  encamped  in  clans  on  their  hunting  grounds 
or  near  their  fisheries,  that  they  laid  no  claims  to  any  particular 
country.  Evidently  each  tribe  did  claim  a  tract  of  country, 
and  there  is  much  evidence  too,  and  some  of  it  not  very  plea 
sant  for  us  to  reflect  upon,  that  they  felt  the  love  of  country. 
It  sometimes  happened  that  a  tribe  was  driven  from  its  territo 
ries  by  the  invasion  of  a  stronger,  and  was  in  a  formal  manner 
granted  permission  to  locate  upon  the  lands  of  others.  Theru 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 


29 


•were  some  places  which  combined  local  advantages,  which  occa 
sioned  contests  for  possession  by  various  tribes  ;  among  these  was 
the  country  near  the  rapids  of  Grand  river,  in  which  the  Ottawa 
Baptist  missionary  station  was  located,  in  Michigan.  The  rapids 
of  the  river  afforded  a  fine  fishery.  The  great  number  of 
mounds,  &c.,  show  that  it  had  long  been  a  place  of  resort 
for  multitudes,  and  ditches  and  embankments  prove  as  incon- 
testibly,  that  the  parties  have  struggled  for  the  mastery  and  for 
the  occupancy  of  the  ground. 

Whether  Europeans  on  coming  to  America  supposed  that  the 
Indians,  on  account  of  their  unsettled  habits,  had  no  ideas  of 
claims  to  land,  and  were  strangers  to  the  love  of  country,  or 
whether  they  supposed  that  the  claims  of  these  naked,  unletter 
ed,  and  comparatively  inoffensive  people,  ought  not  to  be  re 
spected  by  civilized  nations,  is  uncertain.  But,  whatever  were 
their  views,  they  at  once  decided  that  the  aboriginal  tribes  were 
not  the  owners  of  the  lands  they  occupied,  and  therefore  they 
laid  claim  to  the  whole  country,  without  a  knowledge  of  its  ex 
tent.  This  first  step  in  Indian  affairs  was  wrong,  and  was  the 
beginning  of  a  policy  unrighteous  in  principle,  and  oppressive  in 
its  operations.  This  principle  was  universally  adopted.  All 
denied  that  the  Indians  were  the  owners  of  the  country,  and 
therefore  the  whole  was  divided  among  European  Governments, 
each  of  which  made  such  assignments  as  it  chose  to  companies 
or  individuals  of  its  subjects. 

We  can  now  easily  perceive  that  our  ancestors  were  in  error, 
and  that  the  Indians  were  unquestionably  the  real  owners  of  this 
country.  We  can  bring  no  argument  in  favour  of  the  claims  of 
any  people  which  will  not  apply  in  favour  of  these.  Europeans 
claimed  by  right  of  discovery  :  but  the  Indians  had  not  only 
discovered,  but  had  lived  in  this  country  for  ages.  But  it  may 
be  argued,  that  the  Indians  lived  chiefly  by  the  chase  and  by  fish 
ing,  and  cultivated  but  little  land:  the  same  may  be  said  of 
thousands  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  ;  and  yet  they  are 
competent  to  own  lands.  What  law  of  nations  ever  prescribed 
the  quantity  of  land  which  must  be  cultivated  by  a  given  num 
ber  of  citizens,  in  order  to  render  valid  the  claims  of  the  nation 
to  territory?  Such  a  thing  was  never  heard  of.  If  it  be  con 
tended  that  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  is  necessary  to  the  estab 
lishment  of  a  right  in  land — which,  by  the  way,  every  body 
knows  is  not  the  case — then  have  the  Indians  established  their 
claims ;  for  they  were  on  our  arrival,  and  had  been  from  time 
immemorial,  cultivators  of  the  soil.  Their  patches  were  small; 
nevertheless  they  often  furnished  supplies  to  the  Europeans 


OU  INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 

when  in  want.  The  aborigines  are  a  barbarous,  uncultivated 
people.  But  where  is  the  rule  by  which  we  may  determine 
the  extent  to  which  they  must  advance  in  what  we  call  civiliza 
tion — what  shall  be  the  extent  of  their  knowledge  of  letters, 
and  of  the  arts  and  sciences  in  general,  before  they  can  be 
competent  to  hold  lands  ? 

SEC.  5.  The  different  European  Governments,  which  took 
possession  of  this  country,  did  not  always  resort  to  the  same 
means  to  produce  the  removal  of  the  natives,  in  order  to  make 
room  for  white  settlements.  The  Spaniards  depended  chiefly 
upon  their  arms.  Further  north,  upon  the  Atlantic  coast,  milder 
measures  were  commonly  resorted  to.  But  every  company, 
from  every  nation  which  landed,  was  resolved  to  remain,  if  pos 
sible,  whether  the  Indians  consented  or  not.  The  Pilgrims 
of  Plymouth  came  to  this  country  without  the  consent  of  the 
Indians,  and  were  resolved,  if  practicable,  to  take  possession 
of  the  Indians'  lands,  whether  they  were  or  were  not  agreed. 
The  Indians  did  pretty  soon  object  to  their  encroachments;  but 
the  immigrants  fought  them  manfully,  and  conquered  and  took 
possession.  We  have  instanced  this  case,  because  we  suppose 
that  that  company  was  more  virtuous  than  most  others  that 
made  settlements  in  those  early  times,  and  to  show  the  princi 
ple  adopted  by  the  best  of  men  in  reference  to  Indian  rights. 
The  name  of  William  Penn  is  favourably  known  in  reference  to 
this  subject :  but  nobody  believes  that  he  intended  to  abandon 
the  design  of  forming  a  settlement  on  the  Delaware  river,  if  the 
Indians  should  not  consent  to  it.  He  went  there  with  the  same 
design  that  other  people  went  to  other  places — to  take  the 
country,  whether  the  Indians  consented  or  not.  He,  like  others, 
chose  the  measures  which  he  deemed  most  expedient  in  the 
case :  these,  we  admit,  were  more  humane  than  some  others 
adopted ;  but  the  principle  upon  which  he  proceeded  was  the 
same. 

If  the  Indians  had  been  esteemed  the  owners  of  the  country, 
exercising  a  rightful  sovereignty  over  it,  the  immigrants  would 
have  entered  it  with  some  feelings  of  respect  for  them,  as  they 
would  have  entered  the  territories  of  other  nations.  It  would  be 
a  very  singular  circumstance,  if  a  company  of  her  Majesty's  sub 
jects  from  England  should  now  enter  the  United  States,  under 
the  authority  of  their  sovereign,  and  attempt  to  establish  their 
own  laws,  regardless  of  those  of  the  United  States.  In  wars  the 
Indian  tribes  were  not  treated,  by  the  early  European  settlers,  as 
men  who  were  contending  for  their  country  and  their  rights;  they 
were  proceeded  against,  and  treated,  when  vanquished,  as  rebels. 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS.  81 

As  driving  the  Indians  from  their  territories  by  force  was 
always  attended  with  serious  inconvenience,  the  more  easy 
method  of  inducing  them  to  remove  by  means  of  treaties  was 
generally  resorted  10,  when  practicable.  These  treaties  were, 
in  reality,  unmeaning  conventions ;  or  if  any  definite  meaning 
did  belong  to  them,  the  world  has  not  yet  learned  it.  The 
operations  we  understand;  but  we  can  perceive  no  propriety  in 
denominating  the  promises  exchanged  at  these  meetings  a  treaty. 
The  whites  resolve  to  occupy  a  certain  additional  portion  of  land 
which  the  Indians  claim.  They  call  the  latter  into  council, 
and  propose  their  terms:  that  is,  if  the  Indians  will  leave  the 
ground  peaceably,  they  shall  be  paid  so  much ;  and,  in  order  to 
render  the  propositions  less  unpalatable  to  the  occupants,  the 
land  is  called  theirs,  and  they  are  asked  to  cede  it,  &c.  But  the 
Indians  are  not  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  whites  are  resolved 
to  have  the  land,  and  that  they  have  power  and  disposition  to 
execute  this  design.  The  terms  proposed,  therefore,  are  accept 
ed;  not  from  choice,  but  from  necessity. 

Usually  the  desires  of  the  Indians  cling  to  their  country  with 
wonderful  tenacity,  and  if  the  tribes  treated  with  had  been  al 
lowed  to  choose  for  themselves,  it  is  probable  that  no  treaty 
would  ever  have  been  made.  In  order  to  obtain  a  public  ac 
knowledgment  of  assent  at  treaties,  preliminary  measures  are 
usually  put  into  operation  to  secure  the  assent  of  some  or  all  of 
the  most  influential  chiefs  and  principal  men.  These  measures 
are  not  in  all  cases  such  as  a  "tender  conscience"  could  feel 
easy  in  managing ;  but  they  produce  the  desired  effect,  and  ne 
gotiators  on  our  side  excuse  themselves  by  supposing  that  "the 
end  sanctifies  the  means."  The  members  of  the  tribe  generally, 
not  being  subject  to  the  same  influences  that  are  felt  by  their 
leaders,  invariably  complain  of  the  hardship  of  yielding  up  their 
country.  But  there  is  in  the  case  no  alternative. 

In  the  progress  of  treaty  making  it  was  discovered  by  white 
men  who  mingled  with  them,  that  those  occasions  afforded 
favourable  opportunities  for  acquiring  large  sums  of  money  with 
facility.  First,  there  were  their  children  of  half  Indian  blood, 
whom  they  requested  should  be  provided  for  by  a  reservation 
of  land,  or  in  some  other  way;  but  these  provisions  were  often 
appropriated  by  the  father  to  his  own  use.  Secondly,  the  trader 
makes  out  a  large  account  of  debts  due  him  by  individuals  of 
the  tribe.  In  order  to  give  the  transaction  the  colour  of  fairness,, 
the  principal  men  in  council  are  induced  to  acknowledge  the 
account  to  be  just,  and  to  request  that  it  should  be  paid  :  at  the 
same  time  they  may  know  that  it  is  almost  wholly  fictitious. 


32  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 

They  have  their  reasons  for  doing  so.  They  are  obliged  to 
part  with  their  country,  and  they  are  tempted  to  take  all  they 
can  get  for  it.  If  they  will  acknowledge  the  justness  of  the 
account,  and  stipulate  for  its  payment,  the  creditor  will  allow 
them  a  pecuniary  consideration.  Strong  objections  to  the  al 
lowance  of  these  claims,  as  they  are  usually  denominated,  are 
frequently  felt  by  the  commissioners  engaged  in  the  negotiations; 
but  the  claimants  having  adopted  methods  which  will  certainly 
influence  the  Indians,  the  latter  cannot  easily  be  induced  to  sign 
the  treaty,  until  the  payment  of  these  claims  is  stipulated  for. 
We  believe  that  few  important  treaties  have  been  made  in  late 
years,  at  which  the  purchase  of  the  consent  of  the  traders  was 
not  necessary  to  their  consummation. 

SEC.  6.  The  policy  introduced  by  the  early  settlers,  and 
adopted  by  all  the  colonies,  was  transmitted  to  the  United 
States  when  the  Union  was  formed  ;  and  until  some  of  the 
tribes  were  located  within  what  we  term  the  Indian  Territory, 
they  never  were  admitted,  in  principle,  to  be  the  sovereign  own 
ers  of  land.  Some  remnants  of  tribes  yet  remain  in  the  State  of 
New- York  and  in  New-England.  But  those  bands  have  never 
been  permitted  to  act  for  themselves  :  they  cannot  alienate  their 
lands  without  the  consent  of  the  States  within  which  they  re 
spectively  lie,  and  in  all  cases  they  are  subject  to  such  restric 
tions  as  the  State  chooses  to  impose. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  last  war.  between  England  and  the 
United  States,  the  commissioners  at  the  treaty  of  Ghent  agreed 
that  a  line  through  our  northern  lakes  to  north  latitude  49°,  and 
thence  with  that  line  of  latitude  to  the  ocean,  should  be  the 
dividing  line  between  the  two  Governments.  This  line,  extend 
ing  across  the  continent  from  east  to  west,  was,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  a  small  portion  at  the  east,  through  countries  to  which  it 
was  not  pretended  that  the  Indian  title  had  been  extinguished. 
If  the  aboriginal  tribes  had  been  admitted  by  the  two  Govern 
ments  to  be  the  real  owners  of  the  soil,  they  would  not  have 
claimed  the  right  to  divide  the  country  between  them.  It  would 
be  a  strange  thing  for  the  United  States  and  the  French  Go 
vernment  to  call  a  convention,  and  draw  a  line  through  the 
British  possessions  in  Canada,  and  mutually  admit  that  each 
had  jurisdiction  on  its  side  of  the  line!  This  is  what  the  British 
and  United  States  Governments  did  in  relation  to  the  Indians1 
country,  and  in  that  convention  they  agreed  that  "  the  recogni 
tion  of  a  boundary  gives  up  to  the  nation  in  whose  behalf  it  was 
made,  all  the  Indian  tribes  and  countries  within  that  boundary/' 
Here  all  the  country  north  of  the  line  agreed  upon  is  declared 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 


33 


to  belong  to  England,  and  all  south  to  the  United  States ;  and 
this  is  not  all — the  Indian  tribes  are  "given  wp"  to  each  party, 
as  well  as  the  country  they  inhabit.  The  article  implies  that 
both  the  country  and  the  tribes  which  inhabited  it  were  subject 
to  the  control  of  the  parties  prior  to  this  convention;  hence  they 
had  the  power  of  "  giving  up"  the  country  and  the  Indian 
tribes,  and  at  this  convention  the  parties  agree  upon  the  portion 
which  each  shall  subsequently  control. 

It  is  evident  that  the  Indians  were  not  admitted  to  be  the 
owners  of  the  countries  they  inhabited,  and  to  this  agree  text 
books  on  laws  of  this  nature  :  "  What  is  the  Indian  title  ?  It  is 
mere  occupancy  for  the  purpose  of  hunting.  It  is  not  like  our 
tenures ;  they  have  no  idea  of  a  title  to  the  soil  itself.  It  is 
overrun  by  them,  rather  than  inhabited.  It  is  not  a  true  and 
legal  possession.  It  is  a  right  not  to  be  transferred,  but  extin 
guished.  It  is  a  right  regulated  by  treaties,  not  by  deeds  of 
conveyance,"  &ic.* 

Whatever  might  be  the  meaning  of  Indian  treaties,  it  is  evi 
dent,  from  the  whole  history  of  the  intercourse  between  the 
white  and  the  red  men,  that  the  former  did  not  admit  that  the 
latter  were  the  owners  of  the  countries  they  inhabited ;  and  this 
fact  is  confirmed  by  negotiations  between  European  nations 
which  claimed  possessions  in  America. 

'\^ji$e  have  already  intimated  that  this  denial  of  Indian  rights 
was  the  beginning  of  our  troublesome  policy  in  regard  to  Indian 
affair^.  The  British,  Spanish,  and  French  Governments,  com 
monly  acted  in  these  matters  more  consistently  with  the 
principles  adopted  by  all,  than  did  the  United  States,  though 
with  less  kindness  towards  the  Indians.  Those  Governments 
commbnly  took  possession  of  the  country,  from  time  to  time,  as 
their  convenience  required,  without  the  forms  of  a  purchase. 
The  United  States  adopted  as  a  general,  though  not  an  invaria 
ble  rule,  a  course  less  at  variance  with  a  sense  of  justice  than  the 
measures  of  her  neighbours.  The  forms  of  a  purchase  from  the 
tribes  were  observed.  As  her  citizens  became  more  enlightened 
by  her  republican  institutions,  they  manifested  greater  regard  for 
the  rights  of  the  Indians.  Hence  the  price  paid  for  the  extin 
guishment  of  Indian  claims  increased  with  the  treaties  of  almost 
each  succeeding  year,  until  within  the  last  few  years  a  hundred 

*  We  here  write  from  notes  made  at  a  former  period,  and  have  not  the 
authors,  from  which  our  quotations  are  made,  at  this  time,  before  us ;  but  we 
believe  our  notes  are  correct  in  referring  to  Vattel,book  1,  sect.  81,  p.  37,  and 
sect.  209,  book  2,  p.  96 ;  Montesquieu,  book  18,  c.  12;  Smith's  Wealth  of 
Nations,  book  5,  c.  1 ;  Cranch,  vol.  6,  p.  121. 


34 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 


thousand  dollars  have  been  given  for  a  cession  of  land,  for  an 
equal  quantity  of  which  the  United  States,  a  few  years  previous 
ly,  would  not  have  paid  five  thousand  dollars.  But  still  the  in 
consistent  policy  was  continued. 

SEC.  7.  It  is  not  our  business  to  argue  questions  upon  this 
subject,  but  to  state  facts,  a  knowledge  of  which  may  be  of  use 
in  reading  the  following  history.  Nevertheless,  it  will,  perhaps, 
not  be  too  great  a  digression  for  us  to  state  what  we  think 
experience,  under  the  light  of  our  republican  institutions,  now 
says,  pretty  distinctly,  would  have  been  a  proper  policy  to  ob 
serve  between  European  immigrants  and  the  aboriginal  tribes. 

If  the  interests  of  Europeans  required  them  to  make  settle 
ments  in  America,  they  had  a  right  to  do  so  only  by  observing 
due  respect  to  the  rights  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  country.  If 
their  necessities  forced  them  from  the  mother  country,  they  were 
justifiable  in  forcing  themselves  into  this  ;  but  this  forcible  seiz 
ure  of  this  country  could  not  affect  the  validity  of  the  claims  of 
the  aborigines.  In  times  of  war,  possession,  regardless  of  the 
wishes  of  the  owner,  is  taken  of  his  lands,  buildings,  and  other 
property,  and  the  same  is  applied  to  uses  which  the  emergency 
demands.  But  in  justification  of  this  exercise  of  power,  the 
necessity  of  the  case  is  alone  urged.  The  rights  of  the  owner 
are  not  denied  ;  they  are  admitted,  and  he  is  entitled  to  ample 
remuneration  for  his  losses. 

We  therefore  suppose  that  Europeans,  on  coming  to  this  coun 
try,  ought  not  to  have  set  up  a  claim  to  it  upon  the  principles 
of  the  right  of  discovery,  because  they  had  not  discovered  an 
uninhabited  country ;  the  country  was  covered,  though  not 
densely,  with  inhabitants ;  and  the  claims  of  these  inhabitants 
ought  not  to  have  been  denied,  merely  because  their  modes  of 
obtaining  subsistence  were  in  some  respects  different  from  those 
of  Europeans.  When  necessity  compelled  the  latter  to  enlarge 
their  settlements,  they  ought  to  have  made  ample  remuneration 
to  the  owners. 

Here  we  may  be  met  by  the  objection,  that  the  condition  of 
the  Indians  rendered  them  incompetent  to  the  management  of 
their  own  matters,  and  therefore  the  management  of  the  whole 
matter  devolved  upon  the  whites.  Be  it  so.  This  could  not 
affect  the  principles  of  justice  between  man  and  man.  We 
properly  assume  the  management  of  the  property  of  the  minor, 
because  he  is  incompetent  himself;  but  his  rights  remain  unim 
paired.  If  his  property  be  taken  for  public  purposes,  he  is 
entitled  to  its  value  in  something  else.  On  account  of  his  in- 
competency  to  act  for  himself,  we  may  not  purchase  or  other- 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 


35 


\vise  get  his  property  from  him,  even  with  his  acknowledged 
consent,  without  securing  to  him  its  full  value.  But  although 
the  Indians  were  at  first  incapable  of  properly  attending  to  their 
own  interests,  and  most  of  the  tribes  have  not  yet  risen  above 
this  condition,  yet,  latterly,  exceptions  have  occurred.  The 
Cherokees,  for  instance,  have  become  capable  of  understanding 
and  pleading  for  their  rights. 

Having  admitted  that  the  aborigines  were  the  owners  of  the 
country  which  our  necessities  had  required  us  to  wrest  from  them, 
we  should  have  made  them  ample  restitution.  This  we  have 
not  done.  And  as  they  were  incapable  of  managing  advan 
tageously  the  price  which  we  had  paid  them,  it  should  have 
been  managed  by  us  with  the  scrupulous  care  of  the  guardian 
over  the  ward.  This  we  have  not  done.  We  have  kept  them, 
from  generation  to  generation,  in  a  state  of  entire  dependance 
upon  us,  when  we  ought  to  have  applied  to  their  improve 
ment  the  amount  justly  due  them  ;  the  judicious  application  of 
which  would,  in  a  short  time,  have  elevated  any  tribe  above  the 
dependant  condition  of  wardship.  We  have  in  word,  espe 
cially  in  the  instruments  called  treaties,  admitted  that  they  were 
a  nation,  or  body  of  people  competent  to  act,  and  that  they  were 
the  owners  of  the  soil,  when,  in  fact,  we  admitted  no  such  thing. 
As  children  may  be  amused  with  fair  speeches  and  toys,  and 
be  induced  to  yield  to  any  measure  proposed,  so  have  we  en 
deavored  to  amuse  the  Indians.  When  these  milder  measures 
failed,  and  the  Indian,  though  incapable  of  publishing  his  own 
story  to  the  world,  felt  that  he  was  oppressed,  and  manifested 
a  disposition  to  contend  for  his  rights  in  his  own  way,  he  has 
been  compelled  to  yield  to  superiority  of  power.  * 

This  is  the  unfortunate  policy  which  was  entailed  upon  our 
Government  by  that  which  preceded  it.  In  this  lame  manner 
we  hobbled  onward,  from  the  first  of  our  existence  as  a  Govern 
ment.  The  inconvenience  of  the  policy  was  increasingly  felt 
as  the  Indians  near  us  advanced  in  civilization,  and,  therefore, 
self-interest  would  have  prompted  the  desire  that  they  should 
remain  ignorant  and  dependant.  But  whilst  a  sordid  principle 
of  self-interest  seems  to  have  had  too  much  influence  upon 
many  who  have  been  among  and  near  to  the  Indians,  it  has 
been  otherwise  with  our  citizens  generally.  Sympathy  for 
the  suffering  red  people,  and  a  desire  to  do  them  justice,  have 
rapidly  increased  within  the  present  century ;  and  with  increas 
ing  solicitude  the  inquiry  has  been  made,  "  what  can  be  done 
for  their  relief,  and  how  shall  we  discharge  the  debt  we  owe 
them  ?" 


36 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 


The  answer  to  these  inquiries  at  once  suggests  a  change  of 
measures.  Happy  would  it  have  been  for  the  present  genera 
tion  if  our  ancestors  had  made  this  change  ;  but  they  did  not  do 
it,  and  it  remained  to  be  done  by  us.  A  change  in  an  unvaried 
custom,  which  had  been  adopted  at  the  time  of  our  first  settle 
ment  in  America,  could  not  be  effected  without  objections  on 
account  of  clashing  opinions  and  clashing  interests.  But  we 
happily  perceive  that  the  current  of  public  opinion  is  gradually 
turning  into  a  channel  favourable  to  a  radical  change  in  the  man 
agement  of  Indian  affairs.  Circumscribed  to  small  spheres  by 
the  settlements  of  a  people  of  other  interests,  in  the  institutions 
and  prosperity  of  whom  the  Indians  could  not  participate  ;  thrown 
by  the  prejudices  of  their  neighbours  around  them  out  of  society, 
and  rendered  ineligible  to  an  equality  with  them  as  associates, 
neighbours,  or  citizens ;  exposed  from  childhood,  through  life,  and 
from  generation  to  generation,  to  the  contaminating  influence  of 
both  the  scum  and  the  dregs  of  the  society  of  those  who  surround 
ed  them  ;  prevented  from  indulging  such  habits  .of  savage  life  as 
made  it  tolerable,  and  allowed  to  retain  so  much  as,  in  their  pre 
sent  condition,  is  hurtful ;  each  band  isolated  in  its  settlement, 
and  deprived  of  the  advantages  of  union  with  other  tribes;  each 
forming  a  little  band,  without  any  profitable  connexion  with  any 
other  people  upon  earth  ;  without  the  prospect  of  deliverance,  for 
the  present  or  succeeding  generations,  from  this  deplorable  state 
of  degradation  and  dependance — they  have  not  prospered  ;  and 
reason  and  observation  declare,  that  neither  they  nor  any  other 
people  could  prosper  under  these  circumstances.  They  are  not 
within  the  influence  of  the  common  incentives  to  action.  What 
is  there  in  their  condition  to  call  forth  either  mental  or  physical 
energy?  What  can  they  do  to  improve  their  condition?  Like 
prisoners,  circumscribed  to  the  limits  of  the  prison-yard,  they  may 
have  a  competency  of  food  and  raiment;  but  this  is  the  utmost 
of  their  hopes.  They  may  acquire  an  education  ;  but  whatever 
may  be  the  extent  of  education,  or  the  weight  of  talents,  the 
most  ambitious  can  aspire  to  nothing  superior  to  the  condition  of 
an  Indian  chief — a  principal  man  among  a  few  dependant  people, 
who,  like  himself,  are  under  the  control  of  others.  Under  these 
circumstances  they  have  been  perishing  ever  since  the  forma 
tion  of  European  settlements  in  the  country,  and  under  them 
they  would  continue  to  decline  until  the  last  had  perished. 

SEC.  8.  The  Cherokees,  Choctaws,  Creeks,  and  Chickasaws, 
were  not  so  rapidly  hemmed  in  by  white  population  as  other 
tribes  further  north;  they  were  allowed  the  occupancy  of  a  large 
extent  of  country,  the  locality  of  which  was  such  as  long  since 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 


37 


excluded  the  temptations  of  the  hunter  state.  The  tribes  res 
pectively  had  an  opportunity  of  stimulating  each  other  by  coun 
sel  and  conduct  to  improve  their  condition ;  and  in  the  resources 
of  their  country,  their  combined  counsels,  and  mutual  examples, 
they  had  prospects  which  made  them  feel,  in  some  degree,  a 
sense  of  national  character,  national  dignity,  and  that  kind  of 
laudable  ambition  which  aspires  to  greatness. 

These  tribes  had  made  such  advances  in  civilization,  that  at 
the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  or  at  least  within  ten  years 
afterwards,  the  extent  to  which  their  agricultural  and  manu 
facturing  operations  were  carried  seemed  to  entitle  them  to  the 
appellation  of  a  civilized  people.  They  were  so,  indeed,  when 
compared  with  the  unimproved  tribes.  In  these  improvements 
the  Cherokees  were  foremost.  Written  laws  were  adopted  by 
most,  or  all  of  those  tribes ;  and  at  length  the  Cherokees  re 
solved  to  appear  as  an  independent  Government  among  the  other 
Governments  of  the  earth.  They  formed  a  constitution,  and 
asserted  their  sovereignty  within  the  limits  of  the  country  which 
remained  to  them,  after  frequent  and  extensive  cessions  made  to 
the  United  States.  In  asserting  their  sovereignty  they  meant 
precisely  what  they  said.  They  showed  their  neighbours  that 
they  held  all  persons  who  stepped  within  their  lines  subject  to 
their  laws,  and  amenable  to  their  tribunals.  One  instance  was 
the  arrest,  trial,  conviction,  and  punishment  by  whipping,  of  a 
worthless  white  man  who  entered  their  country  and  stole  a  horse. 

Then  came  the  crisis.  Before  the  existence  of  the  Govern 
ment  of  the  United  States,  the  claims  of  Georgia  and  Virginia 
extended  west  to  the  Mississippi  river.  Excepting  compara 
tively  small  settlements  of  whites,  those  countries  were  occupied 
by  various  Indian  tribes ;  but,  in  the  estimation  of  Europeans, 
these  tribes  were  not  the  rightful  owners  of  the  soil.  When 
these  two  colonies  united  in  the  confederacy  of  States,  their 
claims  to  their  respective  territories  were  recognised  by  the 
confederation ;  and  when,  at  different  periods,  agreements  were 
made  between  these  States  and  the  General  Government  of  the 
United  States,  the  settlement  of  those  western  territories  by 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  was  stipulated  for.  It  seems  that 
no  formidable  obstacle  to  the  removal  of  those  tribes,  as  fast  as 
the  advancing  white  settlements  required  it,  was  at  that  time 
anticipated. 

It  had  so  happened  that  the  tribes  which  lay  within  the 
claims  of  Virginia,  like  those  within  the  States  further  north, 
were  not  in  a  condition  to  complain  with  success.  Although, 
in  their  inability  to  wield  the  pen  in  defence  of  their  rights,  they 


38  INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 

sometimes  used  the  tomahawk  most  terribly,  they  were  forced  to 
yield.  The  southern  tribes,  though  advancing  in  civilization,  it 
was  expected  could  be  removed  as  fast  as  necessary.  This 
opinion  was  so  general,  and  its  correctness  attended  with  so  little 
suspicion,  that,  in  1802,  the  General  Government,  in  a  negotiation 
with  the  State  of  Georgia  for  lands  towards  the  Mississippi, 
agreed  to  incur  the  expense.and  trouble  of  removing  the  Indians 
from  the  limits  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  "  as  soon  as  it  could  be 
done  peaceably,  and  on  reasonable  terms."  It  is  evident,  from 
the  lax  phraseology  of  this  agreement,  that  the  parties  sup 
posed  the  existing  policy  in  relation  to  Indian  affairs  would 
produce  the  removal  of  the  Cherokees  without  serious  incon 
venience.  But  when  the  Cherokees  rose  up  and  asserted  their 
national  character,  and  their  rights  as  a  sovereign  Government, 
the  State  of  Georgia  became  alarmed  ;  she  appealed  to  the 
General  Government  for  a  fulfilment  of  its  engagements,  made 
in  "  good  faith,"  and  for  a  valuable  consideration,  to  extinguish 
the  claims  of  the  Cherokees.  It  was  then  discovered  that  this 
could  not  be  done  "  peaceably,  and  on  reasonable  terms." 

At  that  time  the  ugly  features  of  the  farce  of  treaty-making 
began  to  be  viewed  in  a  true  light,  and  the  perplexing  nature  of 
the  policy  in  relation  to  the  Indians  severely  felt.  The  State 
of  Georgia  pleaded  for  the  fulfilment  of  promises  made  to  her 
by  the  United  States,  and  the  Cherokees  pleaded  for  the  fulfil 
ment  of  promises  made  to  them  in  treaties,  with  apparently 
"good  faith."  Of  course  the  United  States  could  not  fulfil  its 
engagements  with  both  parties.  The  State  of  Georgia  asked  for 
nothing  more  than  each  of  the  other  States  had  claimed  for  itself, 
and  which  all  had  conceded  to  her :  she  claimed  the  right  to 
manage  all  men  and  matters  within  the  limits  of  the  State.  But 
here  was  a  Government  of  Cherokees  set  up  within  her  limits. 
She  was  unwilling  to  yield  her  rights  to  jurisdiction,  and  she  was 
unwilling  to  lose  the  country  claimed  by  the  Cherokees. 

This  incongruity  of  a  sovereign  and  independent  Government, 
competent  to  the  enactment  and  execution  of  its  own  laws,  and 
to  enter  into  negotiations  with  other  Governments,  existing  within 
one  of  the  United  States,  will  hereafter  appear  so  clear,  that 
future  generations  will  wonder  how  such  a  proposition  happened 
to  find  advocates.  Moreover,  if  the  claims  of  the  Cherokees  to 
sovereignty  had  been  admitted,  twenty  other  tribes,  or  more, 
within  the  United  States  would  have  been  induced  to  form  simi 
lar  Governments,  each  claiming  similar  rights  to  rule  all  within 
its  jurisdiction.  The  result  would  have  been  a  perversion  of 
order  and  the  abolition  of  all  Government. 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS.  39 

It  was  argued  that  the  Cherokees  were  originally,  and  at 
present,  the  real  owners  of  the  country  which  they  claimed,  and 
that  their  rights  had  been  repeatedly  admitted  by  the  General 
Government  in  treaties  with  them  ;  and  that  in  these  treaties  the 
Cheroke-es  had  been  recognised  as  a  nation.  All  this  was  true  ; 
and  the  perplexities  which  we  at  this  time  felt  on  account  of 
the  bad  measures  adopted  by  the  first  European  immigrants  were 
only  what  would  have  been  realized  fifty  years  before,  if  a 
tribe  of  Indians,  like  the  Cherokees,  had  at  that  time  asserted 
similar  rights.  Our  country  knew  that  the  Indians  had  been 
injured ;  but  to  do  them  justice  at  this  time,  in  the  way  that  the 
Cherokees  demanded,  would  ruin  the  Government  of  the  United 
States ;  and  it  was  impossible  to  believe  that  such  a  sacrifice  was 
proper. 

Our  intercourse  had  not  borne  heavier  upon  the  Cherokees 
than  upon  other  tribes,  nor  indeed  so  much  so,  as  was  evident 
from  their  numerical  strength  and  their  comforts,  when  compar 
ed  with  other  tribes ;  and  yet  it  was  remarkable  that  the  sym 
pathies  of  the  public  were  almost  wholly  concentrated  upon  that 
tribe. 

The  lands  of  the  Cherokees  extended  into  other  States  be 
sides  the  State  of  Georgia,  none  of  which  manifested  the  least 
inclination  to  admit  the  Indian  claims.  The  State  of  Georgia 
was  most  interested,  and  took  the  lead  in  action.  Between  the 
years  1828  and  1830,  she  enacted  laws,  the  force  of  which  was 
to  be  felt  within  the  Cherokee  country,  and  the  result  of  which 
was  to  be  the  abolition  of  the  Cherokee  form  of  government. 
Among  these  laws  were  also  some  which  were  designed  to  rid 
the  Cherokee  country  of  such  white  men  as  would  exert  an  in 
fluence  prejudicial  to  the  interests  of  the  State  of  Georgia. 

SEC.  9.  About  this  time  the  subject  of  Indian  affairs  was 
peculiarly  perplexing.  Nothing  could  be  more  certain  than  that 
the  tribes,  and  remnants  of  tribes,  could  not  be  allowed  a  per 
manent  resting  place  on  the  east  of  the  Mississippi,  without 
the  almost  unanimous  consent  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  because  the  privilege  to  fill  that  region  with  citizens  of 
organized  States  had  become  incorporated  with  our  federal 
compact.  It  was  equally  certain,  too,  that  the  several  bands 
could  not  prosper  in  their  isolated  condition,  each  separated 
from  the  other,  and  distinct  from  all  other  people,  and  pressed 
by  its  neighbours,  to  the  will  of  whom  it  was  subject.  The 
necessity  for  a  change  of  measures  had  become  apparent.  We 
owed  the  Indians  a  debt  which  we  could  not  pay  in  kind;  there 
fore,  we  must  make  restitution  in  some  other  way.  Their  just 


40 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 


claims  to  land  and  sovereignty  could  not  be  satisfied  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Mississippi.  This  could  only  be  done  on  the  west 
of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  the  Territory  of  Arkansas,  in  which 
region  State  claims  did  not  exist.  That  country  was  exclusively 
the  property  of  the  General  Government,  and  it  could  be  secured 
to  the  Indians  as  certainly  as  lands  could  be  secured  to  her  own 
citizens.  The  tribes  being  placed  together,  would  mutually  as 
sist  each  other  in  their  advances  in  civilization.  Enjoying  the 
prospects  of  a  permanent  home,  and  encouraged  by  their  numeri 
cal  strength,  they  would  naturally  feel  something  of  national 
character,  and  would  aspire  to  an  equality  with  their  white  neigh 
bours.  A  meeting  of  delegates  from  the  several  tribes,  in  a 
general  council,  once  a  year,  or  oftener,  would  tend  to  harmonize 
their  feelings,  and  stimulate  all  to  improve  their  condition. 
The  council  would  acquire  the  essential  properties  of  a  Con 
gress,  or  a  Legislature  of  one  of  our  States.  They  would  cease 
to  be  distinct  bands  of  men,  without  law,  headed  by  chiefs,  and 
subject  to  the  custom  of  retaliation ;  but  they  would  be  under  the 
protection  of  such  laws  as>  from  time  to  time,  they  should  find  to 
be  necessary.  These  Jaws  having  been  enacted  by  themselves 
would  sit  easily  upon  them,  at  the  same  time  the  circumstances 
of  contemplating  them,  and  the  interchange  of  views  which 
would  take  place  in  making  them,  would  doubtless  have  a  happy 
effect  in  enlarging  their  minds  and  in  promoting  their  attach 
ment  to  the  institutions  of  civilized  man.  The  brief  authority 
of  chieftaincies  would  disappear  in  the  increasing  lights  of  civil 
government,  and  all  the  ramifications  of  the  system  of  Indian 
agencies  (the  whole  of  which  are  well  calculated  to  promote 
savage  habits)  would  soon  be  repudiated.  The  system  of  In 
dian  agencies  was  never  necessary,  but  always  wrong.  The 
only  colourable  pretentions  in  its  favour  are  found  in  the  un 
civilized  habits  of  the  Indians,  over  whom  agents  are  placed 
by  the  Government,  somewhat  in  the  character  of  overseers. 
But  as  the  Indians  advance  in  improvement,  the  imaginary 
necessity  for  such  overseers  vanishes.  The  Indians,  in  their 
own  country,  could  manage  their  own  affairs.  The  United 
States  being  bound,  in  moneyed  and  other  obligations,  to  every 
tribe,  it  was  expected  that  the  confederacy  would  be  represented 
at  each  session  of  Congress  by  one  or  more  of  their  own  people, 
chosen  by  themselves,  and  attending  to  the  interests  of  their 
countrymen. 

This  condition  of  the  Indians  would  be  similar  to  that  of 
citizens  of  the  United  States  in  new  countries  ;  and  they  being 
"  men  of  like  passions  with  others,"  would  doubtless  advance  in 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS.  41 

improvement  at  the  same  rate,  making  the  proper  allowance 
for  their  present  degradation.  Schools  could  be  established 
among  them  regularly  and  systematically,  and  the  missionary 
would  not,  as  in  other  places,  find  his  flock  diminishing  in  num 
ber,  and  the  people  of  his  charge  perishing,  but  precisely  the 
reverse ;  the  same  as  ministers  find  their  congregations  enlarging 
in  new  settlements  of  white  people. 

Necessity  on  the  one  hand,  arising  out  of  bad  measures, 
adopted  under  an  erroneous  estimate  of  Indian  character  and 
rights,  and  a  desire  on  the  other  hand  to  rescue  the  red  people 
from  extermination,  and  elevate  them  to  the  comforts  of  civili 
zation  and  the  richer  blessings  of  Christianity,  have  induced  the 
Government  to  set  apart  a  country  in  the  West,  as  the  permanent 
residence  for  the  nearer  tribes,  in  which  the  experiment  of  a 
change  of  measures  may  be  fairly  made.  Should  this  experi 
ment  succeed,  as  it  doubtless  will,  and  the  nearer  tribes  become 
prosperous,  similar  measures  may  be  applied  to  those  more  re 
mote.  Other  colonies  can  be  formed  in  suitable  districts  within 
the  vast  wilderness  inhabited  by  Indians. 

Some  brief  historical  sketches  of  the  collocation  of  the  tribes 
within  the  Indian  Territory,  and  their  present  condition,  will  be 
found  embodied  in  the  following  History  of  Missions.  » 


.i  JU 


Tfcj 


HISTORY  OF  MISSIONS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Correspondence,  and  appointments  to  Missionary  service.  First 
efforts.  Location  on  Wabash  River,  Indiana.  Journey 
among  the  Delawares.  School  commenced.  Necessity  for 
removal.  Second  tour  among  the  Delawares.  Sickness. 
Baptism  of  the  teacher.  Journey  to  Fort  Wayne. 

On  the  26th  March,  1817,  I  wrote  from  the  western  part 
of  the  Stale  of  Indiana,  to  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Bap 
tist  Missionary  Convention  for  the  United  States,  that  I  should 
be  happy  to  accept  an  appointment  from  it,  to  labour  as  a  mis 
sionary  on  the  Mississippi  river.  A  preaching  tour  which  I 
had  performed  in  that  country  the  preceding  year,  and  inquiries 
made  of  me  by  the  agent  for  the  board,  Rev.  L.  Rice,  had 
directed  my  thoughts  towards  St.  Louis,  as  the  most  eligible 
place  of  location.  The  great  want  of  preaching,  which  was 
obvious  among  the  destitute  white  settlers  in  those  frontier 
regions,  had  induced  me  to  employ  most  of  my  time  among 
them,  and  a  desire  to  continue  those  labors  still  predominated  in 
my  mind.  Missions  to  the  Indians  were  at  that  time  a  second 
ary  consideration,  and  the  same  was  evidently  the  case  with  the 
Baptist  Board  of  Missions,  as  appeared  from  their  proceedings 
and  inquiries.  About  the  date  of  my  application  to  the  board  for 
an  appointment,  they  wrote  me  through  Mr.  Rice,  inviting  me 
to  accept  of  their  patronage,  and  these  letters  passed  each  other 
on  the  road. 

In  May,  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Peck  and  Rev.  J.  E.  Welsh  were 
appointed  missionaries  to  the  west,  and  directed  to  locate  at  St. 
Louis.  I  was  requested  to  labour  further  east,  and  to  inform 
the  board  what  places  in  Indiana  and  Illinois  were  most  desti 
tute  of  preaching ;  in  complying  with  this  request,  I  expressed 
a  desire  to  extend  my  labours  to  the  Indians. 

On   the   17th  October  I  received  an  appointment  from  the 


44 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


board,  to  labour  as  a  missionary  for  one  year.  I  was  instructed 
to  give  attention  to  the  Indians  as  far  as  practicable,  but  as  a 
number  of  counties  in  Indiana  and  Illinois  were  described  as  the 
field  of  my  labours,  and  as  my  appointment  was  limited  to  one 
year,  I  could  not  suppose  that  the  board  had  contemplated  that 
I  should  do  any  thing  of  importance  for  the  Indians.  By  this 
time  my  anxiety  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Indians  had  become 
great.  But  1  was  so  much  discouraged  by  the  limited  terms  of 
my  commission,  that  for  a  while  I  abandoned  the  idea  of  extend 
ing  my  acquaintance  to  them  during  this  year.  The  inquiry  of 
a  gentleman,  who  was  not  religious,  if  I  would  not  soon  make 
an  effort  to  preach  to  the  Indians,  aroused  a  more  laudable  zeal 
in  their  behalf,  and  I  resolved  that,  notwithstanding  I  had  no 
assurance  of  patronage  beyond  the  current  year,  I  would,  the 
Lord  willing,  make  an  effort  to  establish  a  mission,  and  to  em 
ploy  the  remainder  of  my  life  and  labours  in  the  promotion  of 
their  temporal  and  eternal  welfare. 

On  the  24th  of  November  I  applied  to  Gen.  Thomas  Posey, 
United  States'  agent  for  the  Weas,  Miamies,  and  Kickapoos,  in 
Indiana  and  Illinois,  for  information  respecting  the  condition  of 
those  tribes,  and  for  his  aid  in  introducing  a  mission  among  them. 
He  approved  the  design,  and  kindly  promised  his  co-operation. 
Matters  were  so  far  matured  that  I  was  about  commencing  actual 
operations  among  the  Weas  and  others,  when  a  sudden  check  to 
my  arrangements  was  occasioned  by  the  death  of  the  agent, 
which  occurred  in  March,  1818.  1  lost  no  time  in  applying 
to  those  who  succeeded  Gen.  Posey  in  the  Indian  agency  for 
their  co-operation,  and  in  June,  at  the  time  of  paying  the  In 
dians  an  annuity,  I  was  introduced  to  them  by  the  agent.  The 
subject  of  the  mission  was  brought  to  their  notice,  and  their 
reply  was  as  favourable  as  could  have  been  expected  from  uncul 
tivated  Indians,  who  were  not  prepared  to  appreciate  the  advan 
tages  of  education,  and  who  had  not  felt  the  want  of  religious 
instruction  ;  but  it  was  by  no  means  such  as  was  desired.  It 
seemed  to  be  the  result  merely  of  Indian  courteousness.  They 
spoke  to  the  following  effect :  "  Yes,  we  are  very  glad  to  see 
you,  and  to  hear  your  propositions  to  benefit  us.  We  believe 
you  are  sincere ;  we  will  think  of  this  matter,  and  at  a  future 
opportunity  we  will  give  you  an  answer,"  &LC. 

The  Government  annuity  was  paid  to  them  in  goods.  The 
quantity  which  the  agent  stated  to  be  due  them  was  laid  in  a 
pile  on  the  earth.  This  heap  was  divided  by  two  Indians,  who 
alternately  took  a  piece  of  goods ;  and  when  it  was  necessary 
to  divide  one,  the  measurement  was  made  by  extending  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS, 


45 


arms  apart  at  full  length.  On  these  occasions  the  Indians  are 
not  favoured  with  an  opportunity  of  comparing  their  receipts 
with  an  invoice ;  both  quantity  and  price  are  left  to  the  honesty 
of  Government  agents  who  deliver  the  goods. 

At  this  meeting  two  lads — the  mother  of  one  of  whom  was 
Putawatomie,  and  of  the  other  Wea — were  promised  to  me  as 
pupils  in  school  by  their  respective  fathers,  who  were  French 
men.  As  those  boys  were  related  to  respectable  Indian  fami 
lies,  and  as  each  of  them  could  speak  English,  it  was  hoped 
that  they  would  be  of  much  advantage  as  interpreters,  &c.,  in 
the  commencement  of  a  school.  This  matter  ended  in  disap 
pointment;  for  when,  subsequently,  the  school  concern  was  in 
readiness  to  receive  them,  their  fathers,  who  were  Roman  Catho 
lics,  objected  to  placing  their  Indian  sons  in  the  school  of  a 
Protestant,  lest  "  they  should  lose  their  religion." 

In  order  to  elicit  interest  in  the  subject  of  missions  in  the  west 
ern  States,  I  issued,  in  July,  a  circular,  explaining  our  designs, 
and  appealing  to  humanity  and  religion  for  patronage.  This  was 
circulated  pretty  widely  in  the  States  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  and 
Kentucky.  While  absent  from  my  family,  upon  a  tour  of  some 
weeks  among  the  churches  of  Kentucky,  our  eldest  child,  a  daugh 
ter,  between  thirteen  and  fourteen  years  of  age,  sickened  and  died 
of  typhus  fever.  This  stroke  was  the  more  severe,  on  account 
of  its  occurring  in  my  absence.  Nevertheless,  we  afterwards  be 
lieved  that  the  event  was  sanctified  to  our  benefit,  in  inducing  us 
with  less  reluctance  to  let  go  the  hold  which  our  affections  had 
upon  people  and  things  in  the  regions  of  civilized  society,  and  in 
enabling  us  to  trust  all — our  children,  ourselves,  and  all  our  inte 
rests — to  God.  In  view  of  taking  up  our  abode  in  the  Indian 
country,  we  had  felt  great  anxiety  on  account  of  this  daughter; 
our  other  children  were  small,  but  she  was  of  an  age  to  make 
it  particularly  desirable  that  she  should  enjoy  the  benefit  of  a 
good  school  in  the  midst  of  good  society.  We  could  not  think 
of  keeping  her  with  us  in  the  woods,  and  it  seemed  not  very 
convenient  for  us,  in  our  frontier  country,  to  leave  her  in  a  suit 
able  place,  especially  as  the  mode  of  life  upon  which  we  were 
entering  would  likely  deprive  us  of  the  means  of  meeting  the 
expenses  of  a  favourable  situation.  But  our  Heavenly  Father, 
by  one  stroke,  taught  us  not  to  feel  undue  anxiety  for  any  thing 
on  earth,  not  even  for  our  children  ;  and  we  afterwards,  for  our 
motto  on  the  subject  of  our  children,  wrote  in  our  journal  the 
words  of  the  Psalmist — "  '  I  have  been  young,  and  now  am  old, 
yet  have  I  not  seen  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor  his  seed  begging 
bread.'  Our  children  may  be  injured  by  our  residence  in  the 


46 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


Indian  country,  and  so  they  might  become  worthless  were  they 
brought  up  in  good  society.  But  the  additional  risk  on  account 
of  their  residence  in  the  Indian  country  will  be  more  than  ba 
lanced  by  the  mercy  of  Him  who  has  called  us  to  labour  there." 
This  confidence  in  God  has  not  been  disappointed ;  and  we 
mention  it  here,  for  the  encouragement  of  other  missionaries  who 
may  realize  painful  anxieties  on  account  of  their  children  while 
resident  among  a  heathen  people.  No  parents  were  ever  more 
happy  in  reference  to  the  deportment  of  their  children  than  we. 
Most  of  them  have  been  taken  from  us,  but  we  believe  that 
they  are  in  heaven. 

We  were  exceedingly  at  a  loss  to  determine  by  what  means 
to  establish  ourselves  as  missionaries  in  the  Indian  country. 
The  patronage  of  the  board  had  been  pledged  to  us  only  one 
year,  and  about  nine  months  of  this  had  elapsed.  We  rightly 
judged,  as  circumstances  afterwards  proved,  that  the  uncertainty 
of  the  further  patronage  of  either  the  Baptist  board,  or  of  others, 
would  be  increased,  if  the  year  should  expire  without  a  perma 
nent  beginning  among  the  Indians  in  some  way.  A  location  in 
the  border  of  the  white  settlements  would  be  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles  from  any  Indian  village,  and  on  many  other  accounts 
it  would  be  unsuitable;  but  there  was  not  time  to  make  ar 
rangements  for  locating  at  an  eligible  site  in  the  Indian  country. 
The  distance  between  us  and  the  board  was  such  that  we  could 
not  expect  an  answer  to  a  communication  in  less  than  two 
months ;  but  had  it  been  otherwise,  we  should  not  have  con 
sulted  the  board  upon  the  subject.  During  the  tardy  move 
ment  of  Indian  matters,  I  had  been  much  engaged  in  preaching, 
&,c.,  among  the  destitute  white  settlements  ;  and  this,  I  believed, 
was  about  all  that  the  board  had  expected  that  I  would  do.  I 
could  not  therefore  expect  that  they  would  approve  of  a  propo 
sition  to  make  a  permanent  location  in  the  Indian  country,  and 
therefore  I  did  not  ask  leave  to  do  so.  We  resolved  to  show  to 
those  whom  it  might  concern,  that  when  we  spoke  of  labouring 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians,  we  meant  precisely  what  we  said  ; 
and  having  actually  made  a  beginning  among  them,  we  hoped 
that  if  the  Baptist  board  of  missions  should  not  continue  its 
patronage,  help  would  be  obtained  from  some  other  source.  As 
no  further  time  was  to  be  lost,  I  purchased  a  small  tract  of  land 
a  little  without  the  white  settlement,  and  as  near  to  the  Wea 
Indians  as  I  could  get,  on  which  I  erected  two  log  cabins,  which 
would  answer,  without  great  inconvenience,  for  the  accommo 
dation  of  the  family  and  of  a  school. 

It  was  on  the  27th  of  October,  1818,  that  we  set  out  for  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


47 


mission  premises,  a  distance  from  our  former  residence  of  ninety 
miles.  My  commission  from  the  board  had  ere  this  expired. 
With  my  wife  and  seven  small  children  1  went  into  the  wilder 
ness,  to  seek  an  opportunity  of  preaching  Christ  to  the  Indians, 
without  a  promise  of  patronage  from  any  one,  looking  to  Hea 
ven  for  help,  and  trusting  that  God  would  dispose  the  hearts  of 
some,  we  knew  not  who,  to  give  my  family  bread,  while  1 
should  give  myself  wholly  to  the  service  of  the  heathen. 

Our  separation  from  our  church  was  affectionate — such  as 
might  be  expected  after  a  happy  connection  of  eight  years. 
On  the  evening  preceding  our  departure,  a  meeting  for  prayer 
was  held  at  our  house,  which  was  attended  by  many.  Wo 
had  previously  consulted  the  church  of  which  we  were  mem 
bers,  and  had  obtained  its  approbation  of  our  course.  We 
arrived  at  our  station  on  the  30th  October.  We  were  so  far 
in  the  wilderness  that  it  was  difficult  to  hire  that  assistance  of 
labour  which  was  needed  at  a  new  settlement,  and,  withal,  we 
had  commenced  under  circumstances  which  rendered  the  most 
rigid  economy  indispensable ;  and  we  therefore  had  to  labour 
with  our  own  hands  much  more  than  would  have  been  expe 
dient,  could  it  have  been  avoided. 

On  the  2d  November  we  hired  Mr.  C.  Martin,  to  teach 
school.  He  was  not  a  professor  of  religion  ;  but,  on  the  con 
trary,  he  professed  to  disbelieve  the  Scriptures.  Under  other 
circumstances,  the  employment  of  an  infidel  would  have  ap 
peared  improper ;  but  I  was  alone,  and  found  assistance  indis 
pensable.  He  was  a  young  man  of  decent  acquirements  and 
good  sense,  and  one  whose  sense  of  honour,  we  believed,  would 
induce  him  on  all  occasions  to  adhere  to  the  measures  which 
would  be  creditable  to  a  Christian  mission.  As  a  matter  of  eco 
nomy,  we  designed  to  collect  into  a  school  a  few  white  children, 
from  some  frontier  settlers,  for  whose  tuition  we  should  receive 
a  small  compensation. 

About  the  middle  of  November  I  was  present,  several  days, 
at  a  meeting  of  Weas  and  Kickapoos,  called  by  the  agent ; 
during  which  time  I  had  several  talks  with  them  upon  the  sub 
ject  of  our  mission.  I  had  an  interview  of  some  interest  with 
Peter,  a  Putawatomie,  but  was  compelled  to  use  two  interpre 
ters,  one  to  translate  from  English  to  French,  and  the  other 
from  French  to  Putawatomie.  This  was  a  poor  way  of  con 
versing  upon  subjects  of  importance,  but  it  was  the  best  that 
circumstances  admitted.  Peter  said  he  was  well  pleased  with  my 
proposals,  but,  during  the  last  war,  his  nation  had  suspected  that 
he  was  too  friendly  to  the  people  of  the  United  States  ;  and, 


48 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


although  he  knew  that  a  compliance  with  my  overtures  would 
be  greatly  to  their  advantage,  he  would  not  now  be  the  first  to 
accede  to  the  proposals,  lest  he  should  increase  the  jealousy  of 
his  people.  But  I  might  feel  assured  that,  although  he  should 
not  be  first  m  this  matter,  he  would  not  be  last.  In  pledge  of 
which,  he  rose  and  gave  me  his  hand,  said  he  had  confidence  in 
me,  that  he  would  mention  the  subject  to  his  people,  and  con 
cluded  by  desiring  me  to  go  among  them.  While  we  were  in 
conversation,  a  Kickapoo  chief  came  in,  to  whom  Peter  men 
tioned  the  topic  of  conversation.  "  Ah  !"  replied  old  Kicka 
poo,  "  I  would  rather  have  a  good  dram  of  whiskey  than  to 
hear  that." 

On  the  same  day  I  had  an  interview  with  several  Delawares, 
who  appeared  unusually  friendly,  and  said  that  they  thought  that 
some  children  for  our  school  might  be  obtained  at  their  village, 
and  that  their  chief  would  be  glad  to  see  me.  Two  days  after 
this,  I  reasoned  with  a  Delaware,  (Billy  Killbuck,)  who  could 
speak  English,  on  the  propriety  of  schools.  He  promised  that  on 
his  return  from  his  present  hunting  excursion,  he  would  place 
in  our  school  his  only  child.  This  promise  he  never  fulfilled, 
notwithstanding  I  frequently  saw  both  him  and  the  boy. 

It  was  rarely  the  case  that  I  found  an  Indian  with  whom  I 
could  converse,  except  through  interpreters,  and  these  were 
Frenchmen,  traders,  or  United  States'  interpreters,  and  Roman 
Catholics  by  profession.  Hitherto  they  had  appeared  friendly, 
but  now  they  began  to  manifest  a  very  different  spirit ;  and  the 
United  States'  agent  appeared  to  be  under  the  influence  of  kin 
dred  feelings,  though  professing  at  the  same  time  much  friendship 
for  me.  The  United  States'  interpreter  said  publicly,  though 
not  in  my  presence,  that  "  none  but  a  fool  would  attempt  to 
instruct  Indians  ;"  accompanying  his  words  with  a  profane  oath. 
They  positively  refused  to  interpret  any  thing  relating  to  the 
subject  of  religion.  About  the  same  time  the  conduct  of  the 
Indians,  which  had  previously  indicated  the  warmth  of  friend 
ship,  became  cool  and  distant,  which  I  was  obliged  to  attribute 
to  the  influence  of  those  men.  In  his  manner,  a  Kickapoo 
(the  English  of  whose  name  was  Flour)  was  an  exception. 
He  had  heard  me  explain  the  objects  of  the  mission,  and  had 
heard  arguments  in  its  favor,  so  far  as  could  be  done  through 
those  interpreters.  During  a  day  that  we  were  both  in  the 
same  village,  I  frequently  met  with  him;  he  never  failed,  at 
meeting,  to  give  me  his  hand,  and  with  a  countenance  indica 
ting  affection,  he  would  point  towards  his  breast,  and  towards 
mine,  and  then  towards  heaven  ;  but  his  words  I  could  not 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  ^J* 

understand.  At  length  I  met  him  in  presence  of  one  of  the  Uni 
ted  States'  interpreters ;  Flour  went  through  the  usual  ceremo 
ny,  when  1  asked  the  -interpreter  what  he  said.  He  hesitated 
to  interpret ;  but  at  length  said,  "  the  Indian  says  that  he  loves 
you  as  a  brother  in  the  Lord."  1  then  asked  the  Indian,  "  Do 
you  love  God  ?"  He  answered  in  the  affirmative.  "  Do  you 
pray  to  him  r"  The  interpreter  now  refused  to  communicate, 
and  replied  for  himself — "  The  Indian  does  not  pray,  but  some 
times  he  fasts."  I  was  exceedingly  distressed  that  I  could  not 
converse  with  him  on  the  subject  of  religion ;  and  after  inviting 
him  to  visit  me,  which  he  promised  to  do,  I  left  him,  consoling 
myself  that  he  was  in  the  hands  of  a  merciful  God. 

The  agent  had  carried  his  professions  of  friendship  so  far, 
that  he  had,  without  solicitation,  promised  to  employ  two  In 
dians,  without  cost  to  me,  to  accompany  me  on  a  tour  through 
the  Indian  country,  and  to  give  me  letters  of  introduction,  &tc. 
He  had  also  been  instrumental  in  making  an  arrangement  with 
Stone-Eater,  an  influential  Wea  chief,  for  a  formal  council  on 
the  subject  of  the  mission ;  but  in  all  he  disappointed  me.  I 
waited  on  him,  and  respectfully,  yet  plainly,  told  him  that  I  was 
unable  to  account  for  these  disappointments,  which  were  unex 
pected.  He  endeavoured  to  apologize,  or  rather  to  supply  the 
place  of  apology,  by  renewed  expressions  of  friendship.  1  asked 
him  if  the  two  Indians,  whom  he  had  said  he  had  sent  for,  to 
accompany  me  through  the  Indian  country,  had  arrived,  or 
would  arrive  soon.  He  replied,  there  were  some  goods  at  that 
place  for  them,  and  they  would  probably  come  after  them.  He 
had  all  along  assured  me  that  he  would  have  them  there  at  that 
time ;  yet  I  ascertained  that  he  had  not  sent  for  them  at  all. 

Never  before  had  I  been  so  sensibly  affected  with  the  unhap 
py  condition  of  those  miserable  Indians.  The  whites  furnished 
them  with  ardent  spirits,  under  the  influence  of  which  the  hor 
rid  shrieks,  lamentable  crying,  and  awful  bowlings,  which  ema 
nated  from  their  encampments,  I  thought  would  have  been  suffi 
cient  to  awaken  the  compassion  of  all  who  could  have  heard 
them,  except  those  sinners  who  profited  by  their  ignorance  and 
sported  with  their  miseries. 

With  my  measures  thwarted,  and  my  expectation  of  imme 
diately  doing  something  beneficial  for  the  natives  baffled  by 
wicked  men,  I  returned,  sad  enough,  to  my  lonely  family,  late 
in  the  night.  What  is  to  be  done?  Shall  we  interpret  our  dis 
appointments  to  indicate  that  we  have  mistaken  the  path  of  duty, 
or  shall  we  at  once  adopt  the  maxim  to  increase  our  efforts 
7 


50 


HISTORY   OF   BAPTIST 


in  proportion  to  opposing  difficulties?  We  incline  to  the  latter, 
and  look  upward,  fully  believing  that  an  arm  of  flesh  is  too  fee 
ble  to  extricate  the  poor  Indian  from  his«  lamentable  condition. 

1  now  concluded  to  make  a  tour  through  the  Delaware  coun 
try,  and  to  extend  my  journey  as  far  as  a  settlement  of  Shawa- 
noes,  on  the  frontiers  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  a  distance  of  about 
two  hundred  miles.  My  object  was  to  extend  my  acquaintance 
with  the  Indians,  to  obtain  pupils  for  a  school,  and  to  ascertain 
where,  and  how,  I  could  most  successfully  labour  for  their  spiri 
tual  and  temporal  benefit. 

On  the  1st  December,  in  company  with  Mr.  Martin,  whom 
we  had  hired  as  teacher,  &c.,  1  set  off  upon  our  journey.  My 
wife  and  I  both  felt  a  good  deal  of  anxiety  at  our  parting.  She 
was  left  in  the  woods,  in  unfinished  cabins,  with  our  little  chil 
dren,  without  any  one  near  her  interested  in  our  enterprise ; 
but,  most  of  all,  we  were  uneasy  because  we  had  not  heard  from 
the  Board  of  Missions  for  a  long  time,  and  knew  not  whether 
they  or  any  others  would  aid  us  in  our  undertaking  ;  and  we 
were  not  in  possession  of  the  means  of  proceeding  without  the 
patronage  of  others.  We  travelled  on  a  path  through  the  wil 
derness,  so  small  that  we  lost  our  way,  and  had  some  difficulty 
to  recover  it ;  passed  several  Indian  encampments,  and  at  night 
made  a  shelter  with  bark,  which  we  happened  to  find  at  an  old 
deserted  Indian  camp.  We  had  hobbled  our  horses,  (tied  their 
two  fore  legs  together,)  which,  being  less  pleased  with  the  place 
than  ourselves,  attempted  to  go  back,  and  gave  us  some  trouble 
in  the  night  to  overtake  them. 

On  the  following  day  we  passed  some  Indian  huts,  but  the 
owners  were  all  absent  on  their  hunting  excursions,  excepting  a 
solitary  woman  and  child.  We  slept  on  the  ground,  without 
any  shelter.  The  grazing  for  our  horses  was  so  poor,  that  they 
seemed  determined  to  return,  and  occasioned  us  two  unpleasant 
jaunts  in  the  dark,  among  the  brush,  to  stop  them. 

On  the  3d  we  passed  through  a  Wea  village.  Not  a  house 
smoked  with  fire  on  that  frosty  morning,  except  that  of  a  French 
trader.  The  Indians  were  on  hunting  excursions.  There  we 
found  four  Frenchmen  and  three  Indians ;  one  of  the  latter  we 
hired,  to  put  us  in  our  path.  We  slept  in  a  deserted  Indian 
camp. 

On  the  4th,  at  noon,  we  arrived  at  a  Delaware  village.  Mr. 
Conner,  a  trader,  to  whom  I  had  letters  of  introduction,  was 
absent,  but  we  were  well  treated  by  his  partner,  both  of  whom, 
like  most  traders  located  in  the  Indian  country,  were  mar 
ried  to  Indian  women.  We  were  now  travelling  through  the 


INDIAN   MISSIONS.  5-1 

Country  of  the  Delawares,  and  within  the  chartered  limits  of 
the  State  of  Indiana.  We  lodged  at  night  at  the  house  of  Bet 
sey  Pitcharker,  a  widow,  with  several  children.  I  was  happy  to 
find  her  a  Christian.  She  had  united  with  the  Baptist  church 
in  the  State  of  New- York.  She  related  to  me  her  Christian 
experience,  and  conversed  freely  upon  experimental  religion. 
Her  eldest  child  could  read.  She  had  two  Bibles  in  her  house. 
She  said  she  would  be  happy  to  send  four  of  her  children  to 
school,  were  it  convenient. 

At  noon  on  the  5th  of  December,  we  procured  a  little  corn 
for  our  horses,  and  dined  at  the  house  of  an  elderly  couple,  the 
wife  being  a  woman  of  note,  named  Nancy,  who  could  speak 
English  tolerably  well,  and  who  was  the  principal  manager  of 
matters  around  her.  I  informed  her  of  our  endeavours  to  ame 
liorate  the  condition  of  the  Indians,  with  which  she  appeared  to 
be  much  pleased.  We  passed  through  several  villages  along 
White  river,  rode  all  day  through  rain  and  snow,  and  at  night, 
when  the  storm  had  become  still  more  severe,  we  took  shelter 
in  a  deserted  Indian  wigwam,  where,  as  usual,  we  made  our 
own  fires  and  prepared  our  own  suppers.  The  wind  and  snow 
rendered  my  horse  so  uneasy,  especially  as  he  had  nothing  to 
eat  except  brush,  that  I  resorted  to  the  expedient  of  tying  his 
two  hind  legs  together,  instead  of  the  fore  legs,  as  usual. 

We  left  this  uncomfortable  place  early  on  the  6th,  and  prose 
cuted  our  journey  along  a  narrow  path,  leading  through  a  brushy 
wilderness,  with  the  bushes  loaded  with  snow.  We  passed  an 
encampment  of  wretched  looking  Indians,  who  appeared  less 
hospitable  than  those  people  usually  are.  We  had  little  to  eat 
for  ourselves,  and  still  less  for  our  horses;  and  having  had  an 
uncomfortable  day's  journey,  were  glad  to  enter  the  cabin  of 
a  white  man  on  the  frontier.  We  had  now  left  the  Indian  coun 
try,  and  the  two  succeeding  days'  journey  were  over  exceed 
ingly  bad  roads  of  rnud  and  ice,  with  here  and  there  a  house. 

I  had  intended  to  visit  the  Quaker  missionary  station  among 
the  Shawanoes,  which  I  now  found  myself  unable  to  do.  I 
spent  some  time  with  Mr.  Johnson,  United  States'  agent  for 
the  Shawanoes,  Miamies,  and  some  other  tribes.  We  concluded 
that  the  most  eligible  place  for  our  missionary  establishment, 
which  at  that  time  presented  itself,  was  among  the  Miamies  on 
the  Wabash,  upon  a  tract  of  land  about  thirty  miles  square,  re 
served  at  a  late  treaty  for  the  residence  of  that  tribe.  By  agree 
ment  I  was  to  meet  Mr.  Johnson  at  that  place  the  following 
May,  at  which  time  he  would  aid  me  in  making  the  necessary 
arrangements  with  the  Indians. ,  )Sqo' 


52  HISTORY  OV   BAPTIST 

Several  considerations  favoured  this  location ;  but  there  I 
should  be  compelled  to  communicate  with  the  Indians  through 
the  medium  of  Roman  Catholic  Frenchmen,  as  interpreters; 
and  so  great  was  the  influence  of  this  class  of  men,  that  in 
order  to  obtain  a  favourable  consideration  of  my  business,  Mr. 
Johnson  advised  me  to  secure  the  particular  friendship  of  some 
such  one,  who  would  commend  the  mission  to  the  natives.  It 
was  also  agreed  that  I  should  accompany  the  agent  among  the 
Delawares,  in  the  hope  that  we  could  there  establish  another 
mission.  At  this  time  we  were  so  ignorant  of  the  general  indif 
ference  of  Christians  to  the  improvement  of  the  condition  of  the 
Indians,  that  we  imagined  if  favourable  openings  for  missions 
could  be  found,  and  the  means  of  support  for  missionaries  be 
obtained,  there  would  be  no  lack  of  men  to  enter  upon  this 
work  of  benevolence.  Alas,  up  to  this  present  time,  facts  show 
that  in  this  matter  we  were  sadly  mistaken. 

On  the  15th  of  December  I  commenced  my  journey  home 
ward;  on  the  17th  we  halted  awhile  at  some  Indian  camps, 
which  they  were  preparing  to  shelter  them  from  the  cold.  A 
Shawanoe  who  spoke  English,  on  being  informed  who  I  was, 
and  what  was  my  business,  appeared  very  friendly.  He  spoke 
of  the  death  of  his  wife,  and  the  difficulty  which  he  experi 
enced  in  making  comfortable  three  children  left  in  his  charge. 
I  proposed  to  take  them  and  educate  them,  to  which  he  seemed 
ready  to  consent ;  and  1  was  concluding  to  wait  with  him  until 
he  could  prepare  to  accompany  me  home,  when  one  of  his 
neighbours  came  in  and  dissuaded  him  from  his  good  intentions. 
This  day  one  of  my  feet  was  a  little  injured  by  the  frost ;  we 
slept  on  the  frozen  ground,  without  shelter. 

On  the  following  day  we  put  up  at  the  house  of  Captain 
Anderson,  the  principal  chief  of  the  Delawares.  He  was  very 
hospitable,  prepared  food  for  us,  and  endeavoured  to  make  us 
comfortable.  He  called  in  his  interpreter,  and  listened  respect 
fully  to  my  tallc  upon  the  subject  of  our  mission.  I  had  been 
informed  that  he  was  decidedly  opposed  to  education,  and  to 
civilization  in  general;  and  this  information,  I  presume,  was 
correct,  yet  he  declared  to  me  that  he  felt  otherwise.  He  said 
that  they  were  at  present  unsettled,  and  could  give  no  definite 
answer  to  any  of  my  overtures.  "  A  little  more  than  a  year 
ago,"  said  he,  "  the  United  States'  agent  advised  us  to  adopt  the 
habits  of  civilized  life.  At  that  time  his  word  was  very  good  ; 
accordingly  many  of  us  procured  cattle  and  hogs,  &LC.  Scarcely 
had  we  commenced  this  course,  when  we  were  asked  to  cede 
our  lands  to  the  white  people.  Something  of  this  has  been 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


53 


•done;  the  white  people  now  claim  our  country,  and  desire  that 
we  should  leave  it — and  now  we  know  not  what  to  do !  I  think 
that  the  men  who  made  the  bargain  with  us  have  done  wrong, 
and  that  they  had  not  been  authorized  to  purchase  our  country  ; 
and  I  hope  the  transaction  will  not  be  approved  by  Congress." 

I  assured  him  that  there  were  many  white  people  who  felt 
under  obligations  to  do  something  for  the  relief  of  their  red 
brethren,  upon  whose  lands  they  were  living,  and  he  must  not 
doubt  this  if  he  should  perceive  among  some  a  different  feeling 
towards  them.  He  declared  that  he  felt  entirely  confident  that 
I  lacked  neither  disposition  nor  ability  to  help  them;  he  would 
speak  of  me  and  my  business  to  his  chiefs,  and  in  the  spring 
following  he  would  be  able  to  give  me  an  answer,  and  said  he 
would  be  happy  to  see  me  at  that  time  at  his  house.  Fifteen 
women  were  carrying  fire-wood  to  the  chief's  door,  from  a  dis 
tance  of  half  a  mile  or  more.  They  carried  enormous  loads, 
tied  together  with  leather  ropes,  and  swung  upon  their  shoul 
ders  like  a  soldiers  knapsack.  At  one  time  an  old  man  ad 
dressed  them  in  a  speech  of  about  fifteen  minutes'  length,  which 
I  was  sorry  that  I  could  not  understand.  When  their  labour  was 
completed  they  partook  of  a  plentiful  meal,  and  each  carried 
away  a  small  present  of  food.  About  one-half,  or  more,  of  the 
Delawares  at  this  time  lived  in  small  log  cabins,  the  residue  in 
bark  huts.  Their  prospects  for  improvement  would  have  been 
promising,  had  it  not  been  for  the  necessity  which  arose  for  their 
removal. 

Within  that  same  year,  1818,  they  had  ceded  their  country 
to  the  United  States ;  nevertheless,  I  discovered  that  many  of 
them  upon  whom  I  called  still  hoped  that  they  would  not  be 
compelled  to  leave  it.  On  that  subject  I  chose  to  be  silent, 
notwithstanding  their  many  inquiries.  From  the  agent  I  had 
letters  to  Mr.  Conner,  a  trader,  requiring  him  to  further  my 
designs  as  far  as  opportunity  would  admit.  This  he  appeared 
ready  to  do,  but  it  was  now  winter,  and  the  Indians  generally 
were  dispersed  at  their  hunting  camps,  which  to  them  were 
winter  quarters,  so  that  nothing  effectual  could  be  done.  The 
weather  was  extremely  cold,  and  we  had  found  much  diffi 
culty  in  crossing  streams  of  water,  on  account  of  the  ice. 
White  river  we  once  crossed  upon  the  ice,  on  a  dark  night.  I 
had  been  unwell  two  days,  when  at  our  camp  on  the  20th  I 
became  quite  sick.  I  left  camp  on  the  21st  with  a  considerable 
fever,  and  travelled  in  pain  all  day,  and  still  became  worse.  We 
lost  our  way,  and  I  spent  another  painful  night  on  the  frozen 


54 


HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 


earth,  with  the  additional  anxiety  attendant  on  the  circumstance 
of  not  knowing  the  right  way.  About  ten  o'clock  the  follow 
ing  day  we  recovered  the  small  path.  IVly  fever,  attended  with 
delirium,  increased  until  I  was  scarcely  able  to  sit  upon  my 
horse.  Had  I  not  reached  home  on  that  day,  I  must  have  been 
carried  thither  in  a  litter,  or  have  remained  in  the  woods.  The 
Lord  knew  how  far  I  was  from  home,  and  said  to  my  afflictions, 
"  Hither  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  farther."  I  found  my  wife 
almost  blind  with  sore  eyes ;  still  the  Lord  had  been  round 
about  the  family,  during  a  time  which  had  been  lonely  enough. 
It  was  about  the  last  of  January  before  I  had  so  far  recovered 
from  this  sickness  as  to  be  able  to  leave  my  room. 

On  the  1st  January,  1819,  we  opened  a  small  school  of  six 
scholars  from  the  frontier  white  settlers,  and  one  Indian  boy, 
of  the  Brothertown  Indians;  he  was  boarded  and  clothed  at  the 
mission  gratuitously.  His  mother  at  the  same  time  came  to  re 
side  in  our  family.  About  this  time  the  measles  prevailed  in 
our  family,  arid  added  not  a  little  to  the  burden  of  Mrs.  McCoy's 
labours ;  she,  too,  had  a  turn  of  sickness.  These  afflictions 
lasted  until  the  latter  part  of  February.  We  felt  the  want  of 
missionary  associates,  and  began  almost  to  despair  of  doing 
much,  without  the  co-operation  of  others.  Nothing,  however, 
so  much  discouraged  us  as  the  silence  of  the  board  ;  they  had 
been  informed  of  our  proceedings,  and  of  our  desire  to  enjoy 
their  patronage,  but  as  yet  we  knew  not  that  any  would  be  will 
ing  to  help  us. 

On  the  9th  January  we  received  a  communication  from  the 
board,  which,  though  not  exactly  such  as  we  desired,  neverthe 
less  gladdened  our  hearts  by  an  assurance  of  their  patronage. 
Under  my  embarrassments  on  account  of  being  unable  to  speak 
any  Indian  language,  I  resolved,  if  possible,  to  acquire  a  know 
ledge  of  the  Miamie.  As  soon  as  my  health  admitted  of  my 
riding  abroad,  I  visited  some  of  that  tribe,  with  a  view  of  obtain 
ing  one  to  instruct  me,  but  I  was  unable  to  make  such  an  en 
gagement.  I  then  made  an  effort  to  obtain  a  white  man  who 
understood  an  Indian  language  to  instruct  me ;  in  this  I  was 
equally  unsuccessful.  We  also  began  to  despair  of  doing  much 
at  that  place,  at  which  we  had  settled,  not  as  a  matter  of  choice, 
but  of  necessity. 

On  the  14th  March  I  was  prepared  to  make  another  excur 
sion  of  some  extent  in  the  Indian  country,  but  was  prevented 
by  a  heavy  fall  of  snow,  and  the  anticipation  of  high  waters. 
Five  or  six  families  of  Indians  spent  the  winter  a  few  miles 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  55 

from  us,  and  probably  designed  to  cultivate  a  little  corn  there 
the  ensuing  summer,  to  whom  we  hoped  to  extend  our  labours  ; 
but  to  our  grief  and  mortification,  some  of  our  nearer  white 
neighbours,  having  resolved  on  their  removal,  went  to  them  on 
the  13th,  and  ordered  them  to  leave  the  place  within  two  days. 
This  was  an  unauthorized  and  cruel  proceeding,  but  the  Indians 
prudently  departed.  We  could  not  hope  to  succeed  in  melio 
rating  the  condition  of  the  Indians  alongside  of  people  whose 
hearts  were  so  manifestly  destitute  of  the  feelings  of  humanity. 

In  April  my  business  required  me  to  make  a  journey  to  Vin- 
cennes,  a  distance  of  about  ninety  miles.  There  I  found  Billy 
Killbuck,  the  Delaware,  with  whom  I  had  formed  an  acquaint 
ance  some  months  before,  and  two  other  Dela wares,  in  prison r 
for  killing  a  white  man.  In  a  neighbourhood  in  which  whiskey 
was  vended  to  the  Indians,  these  men  had  become  intoxicated, 
and  in  an  affray  had  committed  this  deed,  for  which  they  had 
been  arrested.  Killbuck  seemed  transported  with  joy  on  seeing 
me.  I  told  him  I  was  sorry  to  find  him  there.  He  said  he  was 
intoxicated  when  he  committed  the  crime.  I  reminded  him 
that  I  had  warned  him  against  drunkenness.  "  Yes,"  said  her 
"  I  well  remember  what  you  said  to  rne  that  morning,  at  my 
camp."  I  said,  you  have  done  wrong,  yet  I  cannot  forget  you  ; 
when  I  pray,  I  will  pray  for  you.  A  white  prisoner  requested 
that  I  would  then  pray,  which  I  did.  Soon  after  the  door  was 
closed,  I  heard  one  speaking  within,  in  a  solemn  tone  ;  the  jailor 
said  it  was  Killbuck  engaged  in  prayer.  On  the  following 
morning  I  visited  them  again.  On  my  inquiry  respecting  their 
condition,  they  said  they  suffered  with  hunger  ;  and  I  could  see 
that  they  were  in  great  want  of  clothing.  I  carried  them  some 
bread,  and  a  little  calico  for  shirts.  I  visited  them  several  times 
afterwards.  About  the  time  of  their  trial,,  they  made  their 
escape  from  custody. 

The  preceding  January  I  had  written  to  Hon.  W.  Taylor,  in 
Congress,  requesting  him  to  endeavour  to  obtain  from  the  Se 
cretary  of  War  permission  for  us  to  settle  in  the  Indian  coun 
try.  The  necessary  permission  was  obtained,  and  reached  me 
in  April.  This  I  hoped  would  be  of  advantage,  if  in  May  I 
should  be  able  to  join  Mr.  Johnson,  the  agent,  in  the  Indian 
country,  agreeably  to  our  arrangement.  During  my  absence  to 
Vincennes,  many  Indians  had  frequented  our  house.  Mrs. 
McCoy  had  no  other  company  than  a  hired  female,  and  our  own< 
children,  and  an  Indian  boy;  nevertheless,  the  Indians  on  all 
occasions  were  respectful  in  their  deportment,  though  they  were 
often  said  to  be  insolent  at  other  houses  on  the  frontier. 


56 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


On  the  2d  May  I  received  a  communication  from  Mr.  John 
son,  agent,  whom,  by  agreement,  1  had  hoped  to  meet  in  that 
month  in  the  Miamie  villages,  informing  me  that  the  agency  of 
the  Miamies  had  been  given  to  a  Dr.  Turner.  Here  was  ano 
ther  disappointment.  The  new  agent  was  a  stranger  to  usr 
and  before  we  could  take  another  step  in  the  business  of  loca 
ting  among  the  Miamies,  I  must  make  an  acquaintance  with 
him.  About  this  time  I  received  intelligence  of  the  passage  of 
a  law  of  Congress,  appropriating  ten  thousand  dollars  annually 
for  purposes  of  Indian  improvement,  to  be  applied  under  the 
direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States.  Disappointed 
in  regard  to  my  contemplated  tour  in  the  Indian  country,  I  made 
another  journey  to  Vincennes,  to  endeavour  to  obtain  a  portion 
of  these  facilities  in  aid  of  our  enterprise.  Several  gentlemen 
united  in  a  communication  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  in  favour  of  the  measures  which  I  had  proposed.  Al 
though  our  hopes  were  not  fully  realized,  yet  this  application 
for  aid  from  Government  it  was  believed,  was  not  without  a 
good  effect.  On  my  return  from  Vincennes  I  found  Mrs.  Mc 
Coy  and  two  of  our  children  sick. 

Indians  frequently  called  upon  us,  but  we  had  not  been  able 
to  secure  any  regular  attendance  upon  instruction,  either  in  let 
ters  or  religion.  The  latter  part  of  May  I  concluded  to  make 
another  tour  through  the  Delaware  country.  It  was  with  some 
difficulty  that  I  found  an  Indian  who  could  be  hired  for  a  rea 
sonable  price,  to  accompany  me.  At  length  I  hired  a  Weay 
who  called  himself  John,  an  exceedingly  worthless  fellow. 
He  left  a  little  boy  at  our  house  \  this  we  considered  our 
second  Indian  scholar,  though  he  was  rather  too  small  to  study,, 
and  after  a  few  months  he  was  removed  by  his  mother. 
Among  Indians  it  is  not  always  the  case  that  children  in  a 
state  of  minority  are  under  the  control  of  their  parents :  they 
are  often  under  the  guardianship  of  an  uncle,  aunt,  or  some 
other  relation.  In  this  case  John's  brother  claimed  the  boy. 
When  we  began  to  divest  the  little  fellow  of  his  few  filthy  rags, 
and  clothe  him  better,  his  owner  became  jealous,  supposing 
either  that  we  were  introducing  an  unwarrantable  innovation  of 
Indian  habits,  or  else  that  we  would  acquire  a  paramount  claim 
upon  the  boy.  He  wished  immediately  to  take  him  away  ;  and 
it  was  not  easy  to  persuade  him  to  allow  the  boy  to  remain. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  May  I  again  left  our  affairs 
about  the  mission  house  in  charge  of  Mrs.  McCoy t  and,  with 
Wea  John,  set  out  for  the  Delaware  towns. 

We  travelled  a  very  small  path,  and  the  day  was  rainy,  so 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  57 

that  we  found  travelling  through  the  wet  bushes  somewhat  un 
pleasant.  We  stopped  a  little  before  night  to  avail  ourselves  of 
a  shelter  in  a  bark  hut,  in  a  small  village,  to  which  the  proprie 
tors  had  not  returned  from  their  winter's  hunt.  John  could 
scarcely  speak  any  English,  and  I  spoke  less  Indian  ;  so  that 
we  could  not  be  very  communicative,  notwithstanding  we  em 
ployed  both  head  and  hands  to  assist  our  tongues.  He  was 
quite  sprightly  in  making  a  fire,  but  the  preparation  of  the  sup 
per  I  took  upon  myself,  as  I  could  better  relish  my  own  cooking 
than  his. 

Through  the  day  we  had  passed  many  miserable  creatures, 
some  travelling  on  horseback,  others  wading  through  the  mud 
and  weeds  on  foot,  and  some  lying  in  their  wigwams ;  some 
half  dressed,  and  others  far  less,  and  several  of  both  sexes  in  a 
state  of  intoxication.  John  informed  me  that  a  few  yards  from 
where  we  slept,  an  Indian  not  long  before  had  killed  his  wife 
with  a  knife,  which  was  the  third  wife  that  he  had  murdered. 
About  three  nights  previous  to  our  departure,  the  brother  of 
the  same  murderer,  in  a  drunken  frolic,  killed  two  women  with 
a  tomahawk.  Some  others  were  injured  in  the  same  fracas. 

I  find  in  my  journal  the  following: 

"  May  29.  We  had  another  day  of  rain,  and  consequently 
unpleasant  travelling  through  wet  bushes.  About  noon  we 
halted,  and  endeavoured  to  make  fire  ;  but  our  spunk  had  be 
come  damp,  and  John,  after  trying  a  long  time  without  success, 
in  a  fit  of  impatience  threw  away  both  spunk  and  flint,  and  left 
us  destitute  of  the  means  of  making  fire.  A  few  hours  ride 
brought  us  to  Eel  town,  (Wea,)  which  I  would  willingly  have 
passed  without  stopping,  but  we  were  under  the  necessity  of 
seeking  for  the  means  of  making  fire ;  and  before  we  could 
obtain  these,  we  had  called  at  many  huts.  The  Indians  were 
generally  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  as  usually  happens  on  their 
return  to  their  villages  in  the  spring. 

"  In  the  first  cluster  of  cabins  we  found  several  sick,  having, 
as  I  supposed,  contracted  colds  in  their  drinking  scrape.  A  little 
further  we  met  an  acquaintance,  Old  Nettle,  riding  briskly.  He 
was  without  clothes,  with  the  usual  exception  of  the  srnalljjcloth 
about  the  waist.  His  face  was  painted  black  as  high  as  the 
nose,  with  red  around  his  eyes.  His  appearance  was  rendered 
still  more  hideous  by  a  second  coat  of  painting  of  mud,  which 
he  had  involuntarily  received.  A  little  further  we  saw  a  great 
many  drinking,  and  heard  many  more  singing  and  howling  in  ad 
jacent  houses.  Two  young  men  came  running  to  us  in  a  style 
which  indicated  that  they  designed  to  have  some  sport  by  insult- 
8 


58  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

ing  us;  but  on  coming  up  they  recognised  me,  and  behaved  well. 
An  intoxicated  female  approached,  and  begged  for  bread.  We 
had  none  to  spare ;  and  if  it  had  been  otherwise,  I  should  have 
been  unwilling  to  have  opened  a  bread  sack  there.  Intoxicated 
Indians  from  all  quarters  began  to  gather  around  u$,  and  I  was 
not  sorry  when  John  turned  and  rode  off  briskly.  I  readily  fol 
lowed  his  example,  and  as  we  were  leaving  them  they  declared 
that  they  would  kill  us,  and  accompanied  the  threat  by  oaths 
in  the  English  language. 

"  About  three-fourths  of  a  mile  further,  at  a  trading  house,  a 
Frenchman  gave  us  the  means  of  making  fire,  and  Old  Nettle 
begged  of  us  a  shilling  for  accompanying  us.  In  the  early  part 
of  the  day  we  had  passed  an  encampment  of  Indians,  at  which 
was  Stone-Eater,  the  principal  chief  of  the  Weas.  He  showed 
us  some  attention,  but  chiefly  with  the  design,  it  would  seem,  of 
seizing  the  opportunity  to  beg  a  little  bread  for  his  wife  and 
children.  We  gave  out  sparingly,  because  we  could  not  replen 
ish  our  stock  of  provisions,  if  once  exhausted.  Though  he 
was  chief  of  his  tribe,  he  appeared  as  wretched  as  any.  A  few 
filthy  blankets,  pack-saddles,  camp  kettles,  &tc.y  constituted  his 
moveables,  while  his  live  stock  consisted  of  some  horses,  too 
many  dogs,  and  not  a  few  cats.  We  have  no  shelter  to-night ; 
have  peeled  a  little  bark  to  keep  us  off  the  damp  earth,  and  have 
spent  an  hour  and  a  half  in  drying  our  clothes. 

"  May  30.  Another  rainy  day.  Am  sorry  that  the  traders, 
whom  I  hoped  to  obtain  for  interpreters,  are  absent.  A  Dela 
ware  chief  and  several  others  called  on  me,  and  appeared  very 
friendly ;  but  as  I  had  no  interpreter,  I  could  not  say  much  to 
them. 

"  May  31.  Had  more  rain.  After  calling  upon  several  fami 
lies,  we  arrived  at  the  house  of  Captain  Anderson,  principal 
chief.  A  considerable  number  of  men  were  about  him,  en 
gaged  in  a  council.  He  appeared  less  friendly  than  I  desired. 
He  gave  me  to  understand  that  it  would  not  be  convenient  for  us 
to  lodge  in  his  house.  This  relieved  me  from  some  embarrass 
ment,  which  I  anticipated,  in  eating  some  of  his  cookery,  which 
I  saw  in  progress,  and  which  I  was  sure  I  could  not  have  rel 
ished  very  well.  He  sent  a  man  with  us  to  look  out  a  house  to 
lodge  in,  who  conducted  us  to  a  cabin,  which,  though  perhaps 
as  comfortable  as  the  village  afforded,  was  filthy  enough.  Be 
tween  my  two  blankets  I  lodged  on  the  floor  among  Indians  and 
dogs,  and  the  vermin  which  infest  both. 

"  June  1st.  I  returned  to  Captain  Anderson,  who  called  in 
his  interpreter,  a  black  man,  through  whom  I  communicated  to 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


59 


him  at  large  my  business  in  relation  to  the  Indians.  He  replied, 
*  Since  you  was  here  last  winter  I  have  assembled  the  chiefs, 
agreeably  to  what  I  promised  you,  and  informed  them  that  our 
brother  had  come  to  assist  us — to  teach  us  to  read  and  write,  to 
raise  corn,  and  to  make  our  clothes.  I  did  not  say  much,  but 
sat  and  listened  to  them  ;  some  of  them  were  in  favour  of  the 
measures  you  proposed,  and  some  were  not ;  some  said  that  a 
good  while  ago  the  white  people  took  one  of  our  people,  and 
gave  him  a  good  education  ;  perhaps  ten  years  afterwards  they 
took  another,  and  taught  him  to  read  also,  and  both  of  these 
men  were  afterwards  killed  by  the  white  people.  One  was 
killed  as  he  lay  asleep,  and  the  other  was  shot  by  a  boy;  and 
perhaps  the  white  people  desire  to  educate  more,  so  that  they 
may  kill  them.  For  my  part,  I  think  what  you  say  is  true — k 
would  be  of  great  benefit  to  our  children  for  you  to  instruct 
them.  Were  we  to  remain  in  this  country,  we  should  be  glad 
if  you  would  come  and  live  near  us,  and  we  would  send  our 
children  to  you  ;  but  we  are  soon  to  leave  this  country;  never 
theless,  I  will  assemble  the  chiefs  again,  and  tell  them  what  you 
say,  and  if  any  of  them  agree  to  your  proposals,  our  children 
will  be  taken  to  your  house ;  if  they  do  not,  you  will  not  hear 
from  us  any  more  until  we  become  settled.  I  have  written  to 
the  great  council  of  the  Seventeen  fires  [Congress]  to  send  me  a 
paper  that  will  give  us  a  sure  title  to  the  land  to  which  we  are 
going,  so  that  the  white  people  may  no  more  disturb  us.  When 
I  get  this  paper,  and  we  shall  have  become  settled,  we  will 
think  of  doing  something  for  our  children — we  will  then  send 
for  you  to  come  and  instruct  them  ;  but  at  this  time  nothing 
can  be  done — /  wish  you  to  notice  that.' 

"  I  had  no  reason  to  doubt  the  truth  of  his  closing  remark, 
that  nothing  could  be  done  with  him  at  this  time.  Most  of  the 
people  of  the  village  were  in  a  drinking  frolic,  which  induced 
me  to  leave  the  place  sooner  than  otherwise  I  should  have  done. 
Near  where  we  lodged,  both  men  and  women  were  all  night 
beating  their  old  drums,  singing,  dancing,  and  hallooing.  This 
morning  a  spectacle  of  drunkenness  was  exhibited  around  us 
too  disgusting  to  be  related.  On  the  same  day  an  influential 
old  woman,  who  is  a  kind  of  a  head  of  a  party,  said  that  if  the 
tribe  should  go  to  the  west  of  the  Mississippi,  she  and  her  party 
would  remain  near  our  establishment. 

"  June  2d.  Agreeably  to  a  promise  made  yesterday,  seven 
influential  Delawares  assembled,  to  whom  I  communicated  our 
plans  and  proposals,  an  aged  female  acting  as  our  interpreter. 


60 


HISTOKY  OF  BAPTIST 


They  declared  that  they  were  well  pleased  with  the  overtures  I 
had  made  them,  but  their  contemplated  removal  to  the  west  of 
the  Mississippi  would  deprive  them  of  the  opportunity  of  com 
plying  with  my  requests.  Were  they  settled,  they  would  cer 
tainly  agree  to  my  proposals ;  and  as  it  was,  they  would  never 
forget  what  I  had  said  to  them.  Some  Miamies  being  present 
who  could  not  understand,  the  company,  at  my  instance,  crossed 
White  river  with  me,  where  at  a  small  Miamie  village  a  council 
was  convened,  to  which  the  Delawares  communicated  what  I 
had  said  to  them.  The  Miamies  received  us  with  politeness. 
A  bench  was  placed  for  the  chief  speaker  and  myself  to  sit 
upon,  while  the  others  sat  around  on  the  earth,  on  mats,  logs, 
&c.  Our  council  was  begun  and  ended  with  the  ceremony  of 
smoking ;  the  chief  speaker  smoked  the  first  half  of  his  pipe, 
and  allowed  me  to  smoke  out  the  other.  In  the  evening  we 
prepared  supplies  for  our  journey.  In  making  bread,  I  chose 
to  perform  the  kneading  myself,  as  I  had  not  confidence  in  the 
cleanliness  of  John. 

"  June  3d.  On  setting  out  this  morning  we  swam  our  horses 
across  White  river  by  the  side  of  a  canoe — slept  between  two 
pieces  of  bark  which  I  had  peeled  on  my  way  out.  In  the  af 
ternoon,  and  during  the  night,  I  was  quite  sick. 

"  June  4th.  On  account  of  my  indisposition,  I  did  not  rise 
so  early  as  usual,  and  when  I  did  I  found  John  preparing  our 
breakfast ;  but  his  cookery  was  such  that  I  could  not  partake 
of  it.  In  going  a  few  miles  my  horse  sunk  in  a  mire,  and  I 
went  through  without  him.  Through  John's  assistance  I  reco 
vered  him.  On  reaching  Eel  town  I  was  so  unwell,  and  there 
was  so  much  whiskey  among  them,  that  I  concluded  to  pass  on 
without  stopping ;  but  before  we  were  fairly  through  the  settle 
ment,  Stone-Eater,  the  principal  chief,  having  heard  of  me, 
overtook  us  and  requested  me  to  return  and  have  a  council.  I 
turned  and  went  with  him  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  and  halted 
at  a  few  tents  pitched  in  the  shade  of  some  trees.  Stone-Eater 
rode  about  and  collected  his  chiefs  and  others,  among  whom, 
unfortunately,  were  some  who  were  intoxicated  ;  the  most  trou 
blesome  was  a  young  Delaware,  whom  they  in  vain  endeavoured 
to  persuade  to  leave  the  place.  We  had  seated  ourselves  in  a 
circle  on  the  earth,  and  Stone-Eater  was  about  opening  the 
talk,  when  the  loquacity  of  the  Delaware  broke  the  conversa 
tion.  Again  they  endeavoured  to  get  him  off,  but  failed.  At 
length  a  young  WTea  approached  him  with  a  piece  of  bark  in 
his  hand,  as  if  designing  to  tie  him,  and  gave  him  much  loud 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


61 


talk,  and  many  an  angry  look.  The  altercation  became  so 
warm  that  I  was  looking  to  see  their  large  knives  resorted  to  in 
order  to  settle  the  dispute. 

"  Times  becoming  more  quiet,  we  resumed  our  talk  in  coun 
cil.  Agreeably  to  custom,  at  the  conclusion  of  each  sentence 
the  party  spoken  to  responded  Ho-o.  On  these  occasions  the 
young  Delaware,  whom  we  had  been  compelled  to  admit  to  a 
seat  with  us,  would  halloo  aloud,  to  the  great  annoyance  of 
every  one.  Presently  a  bottle  of  spirits  was  brought  by  some 
one,  and  placed  within  our  circle ;  the  chief  placed  it  by  his 
side,  to  prevent  others  from  drinking.  Seeing  how  matters  were 
going,  he  said,  c  We  had  better  make  short  speeches' — this  was 
to  enable  me  to  leave  the  place  as  soon  as  possible.  To  this  I 
had  no  objection.  Being  apprehensive  that  I  was  in  danger, 
the  chief  directed  me  to  pursue  a  by-path,  by  which  I  could 
get  off  with  the  least  exposure.  Before  I  could  mount  my 
horse  the  chief  himself  was  overcome  by  temptation,  and  took 
a  full  dram.  Whiskey  and  intoxicated  Indians  were  now  fast 
accumulating  about  us,  and  before  we  had  proceeded  one  rod, 
John  too  insisted  on  having  a  dram.  Our  interpreter  was  an 
Indian ;  I  requested  him  not  to  allow  John  to  become  intoxicated. 
I  was  glad  when  we  got  away  from  these  wretched  people. 

"  Some  twenty  miles  further  we  passed  another  village,  where 
I  saw  a  man  whom  I  had  once  engaged  to  teach  me  the  Miamie 
language.  He  said  that  the  reason  why  he  had  not  fulfilled  his 
engagement  was,  that  he  was  afraid  to  live  so  near  the  whites, 
lest  he  should  sustain  some  injury  at  their  hands.  John  also 
expressed  similar  fears,  and  said  that  on  that  account  he  would 
take  his  boy  from  our  house  on  his  return ;  and  asked  me  to 
loan  him  a  horse  to  bring  him  back  as  far  as  the  village  in  which 
we  then  were.  I  perceived  that  his  object  was  to  steal  my 
horse ;  I  therefore  told  him  I  should  not  grant  his  request.  He 
appeared  much  offended,  and  insisted  that  I  should  allow  him 
greater  wages  for  his  services  than  had  been  agreed  upon.  To 
this  I  would  not  consent.  He  probably  thought  that  as  I  was 
alone  in  the  Indian  country,  I  would  be  afraid  to  deny  him,  lest 
advantage  should  be  taken  of  my  situation.  Finding  that  I 
spoke  and  acted  with  decision,  he  admitted  that  I  was  right,  and 
we  slept  peaceably  together  in  the  woods  another  night. 

u  June  5th.  The  best  breakfast  that  our  means  afforded 
this  morning  was  hot  water  thickened  with  a  little  flour,  and 
slightly  sweetened.  In  the  afternoon  I  united  again  with  my 
family." 

On  the  4th  of  August  I  was  attacked  with  bilious  fever ;  I 


62  HISTORY  OP  BAPTIST 

prescribed  for  myself,  and  for  ten  days  was  not  severely  indis 
posed.  I  regretted  the  loss  of  time,  and  being  unable  to  go 
abroad  to  mingle  with  the  Indians,  I  endeavoured  to  get  one  to 
sit  by  my  bed-side  and  instruct  me  in  the  Indian  language,  but  I 
found  none  whom  I  could  thus  employ. 

August  13th,  I  became  so  unwell  that  a  speedy  dissolution  was 
apprehended.  A  messenger  had  been  sent  ninety  miles  for  a 
physician.  A  while  after,  our  eldest  son,  about  twelve  years  of 
age,  was  also  to  human  appearance  brought  near  to  death.  It 
was  the  5th  of  October  before  I  could  leave  home.  The  interests 
of  the  cause  in  which  we  had  embarked  requiring  me  to  make 
a  journey  of  ninety  miles  to  Vincennes,  I  set  out  when  I  was 
so  feeble  that  I  had  to  lie  down  and  rest  frequently.  I  returned 
home  on  the  13th  of  November,  when,  from  the  fatigue  of  the 
journey,  1  relapsed  into  violent  fever.  My  case  became  so  se 
rious  that  an  unskilful  person,  who  styled  himself  a  physician, 
was  called  in.  After  being  greatly  injured  by  his  prescriptions, 
1  v/as  under  the  necessity  of  refusing  to  follow  them. 

On  the  25th  of  October  the  symptoms  of  my  disease  were 
strongly  such  as  in  that  country  usually  attended  those  who  were 
dying  with  the  disease  with  which  I  was  afflicted.  I  supposed, 
and  so  did  others  around  me,  that  I  was  dying.  On  being  asked 
by  my  wife,  if  I  thought  there  was  any  hope,  I  replied,  "  there 
is  none,  only  that  with  God  nothing  is  impossible ;  that  for  me 
to  live  would  be  a  miracle  little  less  than  for  one  to  be  raised 
from  the  dead.  I  knew  that  I  had  to  die,  and  I  could  not  ex 
pect  the  Lord  to  work  a  miracle  in  my  behalf."  For  about 
forty  hours  my  distress  was  very  great ;  so  much  so  that  my 
dearest  friends  desired  me  to  die,  that  I  might  be  relieved  of  my 
pains.  I  begged  the  Lord  by  some  means  to  lighten  my  pains 
a  little.  Mr.  Martin,  our  teacher,  who  had  become  serious  on 
the  subject  of  religion,  fell  on  his  knees  by  my  bed-side.  The 
Lord  pitied  and  spared.  It  was  the  latter  part  of  December 
before  I  became  tolerably  well. 

During  my  illness  two  of  our  children  were  also  very  sick. 
The  watchings  and  anxieties  of  Mrs.  McCoy,  together  with  the 
heavy  charge  of  the  affairs  of  our  large  family,  and  the  increas 
ing  cares  of  the  institution,  became  a  burden  so  onerous,  that 
we  had  reason  to  fear  that  she  too  would  fail ;  but  the  Lord 
mercifully  sustained  her.  While  I  was  confined  to  my  bed  by 
my  severe  sickness,  Mr.  Martin,  who  was  an  avowed  Deist 
when  we  hired  him  to  teach  school,  made  profession  of  the  reli 
gion  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  was  baptized  at  the  mission  house 
•by  Rev.  Wilson  Thompson,  of  Ohio,  who,  with  Rev.  A.  Frakes, 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


63 


had  paid  us  a  visit.  Shortly  after  his  baptism,  Mr.  Martin  left 
our  place,  with  the  view  of  preaching  the  Gospel  among  the 
whites,  which  he  did  for  several  years  to  good  acceptance. 

Amidst  our  great  afflictions  the  Lord  afforded  some  encou 
ragement.  This  was  not  only  derived  from  the  conversion  of 
Mr.  Martin,  but  from  other  circumstances.  While  I  lay  sick, 
five  children  of  the  Brothertown  Indians,  and  another  Wea 
child,  were  taken  into  the  family.  We  now  had  eight  Indian 
children,  all  feeding  at  our  table,  and  dependant  upon  us  for 
clothing.  The  family  thus  increased,  the  business  of  the  insti 
tution  became  rather  too  great  for  Mrs.  McCoy.  For  a  while 
studies  in  school  had  been  suspended ;  they  were  resumed  on 
the  15th  of  November,  while  I  was  sick,  under  the  management 
of  Mr.  Johnston  Lykins,  who  had  been  employed  on  the  depar 
ture  of  Mr.  Martin.  He  was  not  a  professor  of  religion.  This 
to  us  was  the  less  discouraging,  on  account  of  the  favour  which 
had  been  shown  us  in  the  conversion  of  our  late  teacher;  nor 
have  our  ho'pes  in  this  case  been  disappointed,  for  Mr.  Lykins 
at  this  time  (1839)  is  a  faithful  missionary. 

I  had  become  able  to  handle  my  pen,  and  no  more,  when  I 
received  information  that  the  President  of  the  United  States  de 
signed  to  apply  the  ten  thousand  dollar  annual  appropriation  for 
Indian  reform,  in  conjunction  with  the  labours  of  benevolent 
societies;  and  that  such  as  would  avail  themselves  of  those 
Government  facilities  should  report  their  plans,  and  the  condi 
tion  of  their  missions.  Accordingly,  about  the  middle  of  No 
vember,  I  reported  to  the  Secretary  of  War.  I  further  made 
application  through  Mr.  Taylor,  member  of  Congress,  for  per 
mission  to  establish  missions  among  the  Kickapoos  and  the 
Delawares,  when  those  tribes  should  become  settled  on  lands 
which  had  lately  been  assigned  them  in  the  State  of  Missouri. 
At  the  same  time  we  determined,  the  Lord  willing,  to  get  into 
the  country  of  the  Miamies  as  soon  as  possible.  To  carry  into 
effect  our  plans,  several  more  missionaries  would  be  indispens 
able,  but  these  we  hoped  the  Lord  would  provide.  Our  plans 
and  operations  were  communicated  to  the  board  of  missions. 

In  our  inquiries  for  more  missionaries,  we  had  understood  that 
Mr.  Thompson,  who  had  recently  been  at  our  house,  would 
like  to  unite  with  us ;  and  believing  that  he  was  qualified  to  be 
useful,  we  opened  a  correspondence  with  him  upon  the  subject ; 
but  this  design  failed.  After  many  vexatious  disappointments 
in  regard  to  the  employment  of  an  Indian  to  instruct  me  in 
the  Miamie  language,  I  commenced  the  study  of  Delaware, 
with  the  assistance  of  one  whose  English  name  was  Ben 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

Gray.  He,  with  others,  had  acquired  some  knowledge  ot  our 
institution  while  1  was  on  rny  late  tour  in  their  country.  I 
engaged  him  for  twenty-one  days  only.  In  this  short  time 
I  could  not  hope  to  learn  much,  especially  as  I  had  much 
other  business  to  look  after,  and  had  to  study  under  great  disad 
vantages  ;  nevertheless,  I  commenced.  While  I  received  in 
structions  from  Ben,  Mrs.  McCoy  afforded  some  instruction  to 
his  wife.  Ben  had  not  been  long  at  our  house  when  he  in 
formed  us  that  a  white  man,  not  far  off,  had  told  him  that  he 
would  be  killed  if  he  remained  so  near  the  white  settlements 
with  his  family.  We,  however,  prevailed  on  him  to  remain 
with  us  a  while  longer. 

On  the  16th  of  February  I  joined  in  marriage  Mary  Ann 
Isaacs,  of  the  Brothertown  Indians,  who  had  been  spending  a  few 
weeks  at  our  house,  and  Christmas  Dashney,  a  half-breed  Wea. 
Our  near  Indian  neighbours  were  invited  to  attend  the  cere 
mony,  and  we  had  the  happiness  to  have  twenty-three  of  the 
natives  partake  of  a  meal  prepared  on  the  occasion. 

Waupungea  (alias  John)  had  erected  a  little  hut  near  our 
house,  in  which  he  and  his  family  had  resided  for  a  few  weeks. 
We  had  encouraged  them  to  this  in  the  hope  of  doing  them 
good,  and  because  we  would,  on  that  account,  more  proba 
bly  keep  their  children  in  our  school.  On  the  15th  he  in 
formed  us  that  he  thought  he  had  better  not  live  with  us  any 
longer,  he  had  better  go  among  his  people.  God  had  made  the 
Indians  as  they  are,  and  therefore  it  would  be  proper  for  them  to 
continue  as  they  have  been  made,  and  not  to  change  their  man 
ners  and  customs  for  those  of  the  whites.  White  people  would 
be  happy  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  own  customs,  because  the 
Great  Spirit  had  placed  them  in  that  situation. 

He  was  told  that  our  object  was  to  make  the  miserable  hap 
py,  the  poor  man  rich,  and  the  mean  man  great.  The  fashion 
of  dress,  and  such  like  things,  we  cared  but  little  about.  This 
he  knew,  because  we  had  a  few  days  before  given  him  paint  for 
his  face,  and  we  had  made  his  children  clothes  after  the  Indian 
fashion.  Our  attention  was  directed  chiefly  to  things  obviously 
beneficial,  and  calculated  to  do  them  lasting  good.  He  conclu 
ded  to  remain  a  while  longer. 

I  did  not  make  much  progress  in  the  study  of  the  Delaware 
language,  as  I  had  scarcely  one  hour  in  twenty-four  which  I 
could  devote  to  it.  But  I  had  been  criminal  indeed,  if,  upon  be 
coming  better  acquainted  with  their  deplorable  condition,  I  had 
not  become  more  anxious  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  their  lan 
guage,  that  I  might  preach  to  them  the  unsearchable  riches  of 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  65 

Christ.  Ben  Gray,  who  was  my  instructor,  also  evidently  pro 
fited  by  our  connection.  In  their  little  matters  of  housekeeping 
they  became  much  more  neat,  and  his  wife  learned  to  knit,  and 
perform  some  other  work  well.  They  had  removed  a  few  miles 
from  us,  when  Mrs.  McCoy  and  I  made  them  a  visit  as  neigh 
bours.  They  were  exceedingly  gratified.  For  our  repast  they 
pounded  dried  venison  in  a  mortar,  until  it  was  almost  reduced 
to  powder,  and  then  mixed  with  it  a  considerable  proportion  of 
bear's  and  racoon's  grease. 

Exceedingly  anxious  to  get  to  a  more  eligible  site  within  the 
Indian  country,  I  had  engaged  an  Indian  to  accompany  me 
through  the  wilderness  (180  miles)  to  Fort  Wayne,  to  consult 
the  new  agent,  Dr.  Turner.  Ben  Gray  also  was  to  accompany 
me,  that  I  might  prosecute  my  study  of  the  Delaware  language 
on  the  way.  This  journey  I  was  compelled  to  relinquish,  on 
account  of  the  poor  state  of  my  health,  and  the  cares  of  our 
establishment,  which  were  too  onerous  for  Mrs.  McCoy  alone* 
Mr.  Lykins  was  sent  thither,  accompanied  by  a  half  Indian. 
The  waters  were  very  full,  on  account  of  which  they  were  ex 
posed  to  great  inconvenience,  and  not  a  little  danger  both  to 
themselves  and  their  horses.  They  returned  on  the  9th  of 
March,  after  an  absence  of  fourteen  days. 

They  had  carried  a  communication  to  Pishewa,  the  principal 
chief  of  the  Miamies,  and  to  Dr.  Turner,  their  agent,  both  of 
whom  appeared  to  favour  our  designs.  We  desired  to  settle  at 
the  Miamie  Massassinawa  villages ;  but  the  agent  urged  the 
propriety  of  our  locating  at  Fort  Wayne.  He  and  others  urged 
that,  at  Massassinawa,  not  only  would  our  property  be  destroyed 
by  the  Indians,  but  our  lives  would  be  in  jeopardy,  on  account 
of  intoxicated  Indians.  At  Fort  Wayne  we  were  offered  the  use 
of  public  buildings  gratuitously,  and  promised  the  hearty  co 
operation  of  the  agent  in  promotion  of  the  objects  of  our  labours. 
The  Indians  would  readily  have  consented  to  our  wishes  to  set 
tle  at  Massassinawa  ;  but  the  agent,  who  resided  at  Fort  Wayne, 
employed  his  influence  to  get  us  to  the  latter  place. 

Having  hired  Silk  Hernbus,  a  Delaware,  to  accompany  me,  I 
started  on  the  18th  of  March,  to  go  and  see  the  agent  myself.  We 
lost  the  small  path,  and  travelled  almost  the  whole  day  without 
any  traiL  On  the  second  day  Hembus's  horse  began  to  fail, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  walk  and  drive  him  ;  and  on  the  third  day 
we  had  to  leave  him,  having  first  tied  his  two  fore  legs  together 
with  bark,  so  that  he  could  not  wander  far  from  the  place  be 
fore  our  return.  He  hid  his  saddle,  bridle,  &c.,  in  a  hollow 
tree,  and  carried  his  blankets  on  his  back, 
9 


66 


HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 


My  horse  having  no  company  on  the  following  night,  mani 
fested  a  strong  inclination  to  leave  me.  I  had  taken  the  pre 
caution  to  tie  his  fore  legs  together,  and  his  head  down  to  them. 
About  midnight  Hembus  told  me  that  he  had  heard  my  horse 
going  off.  I  wished  him  to  go  with  me  in  pursuit  of  him ;  but 
as  there  was  much  water  on  the  ground ,  and  the  night  dark  and 
cold,  he  preferred  remaining  at  camp.  I  took  fire  in  my  hand, 
to  make  light,  and  went  in  quest  of  him  alone,  but  had  to  re 
turn  without  him.  I  felt  not  a  little  anxiety  on  account  of  my 
situation  ;  I  thought  my  horse  had  probably  made  his  escape,  and 
my  poor  state  of  health  rendered  me  unable  to  travel  on  foot 
to  any  place  of  human  residence.  However,  I  resigned  myself 
to  the  care  of  Him  who  had  been  with  Jacob  in  the  desert,  and 
again  wrapped  myself  in  my  blankets.  In  the  morning,  how 
ever,  we  recovered  my  horse. 

That  night,  as  Hembus  and  I  lay  by  our  fire,  1  introduced  in 
conversation  the  subject  of  religion.  He  said  all  the  Delawares 
believed  that  good  Indians  go  to  God  after  death,  and  bad  ones 
to  the  devil,  to  be  punished  in  a  great  fire.  All,  both  good 
and  bad,  had  to  appear  before  God,  who  looked  upon  them,  and 
decided  who  was  his.  He  said  it  was  very  bad  to  make  pewter 
money  ;  and  all  who  did  so  would  go  to  Muh-tunh-to,  (the  devil,) 
to  dwell  in  a  hot  fire.  They  would  be  very  thirsty;  and,  when 
they  would  ask  for  drink,  would  be  forced  to  drink  melted 
pewter.  It  was  reported  that  in  dealings  the  whites  frequently 
passed  counterfeit  money  to  the  Indians.  It  is  possible  that  the 
impositions  practised  upon  them  in  this  respect  had  caused  the 
crime  of  "  making  pewter  money"  to  appear  more  heinous  than 
it  would  otherwise  have  done. 

On  the  2lst,  Hembus,  who  was  travelling  on  foot,  tired,  and  we 
had  to  encamp  before  night.  On  the  day  following,  as  we  were 
entering  the  Miamie  villages  on  Massassinawa  river,  Hembus,  who 
was  walking  before  me,  discovered  a  company  of  Miamies  sitting 
on  the  ground  before  us,  drinking.  He  instantly  turned  back, 
saying,  "  1  do  not  like  drunken  Indians."  He  went  off  another 
way,  and  made  inquiry  if  we  could  not  cross  the  river  by  a  way 
by  which  we  should  avoid  those  who  were  drinking.  I  discov 
ered  that  he  was  afraid  ;  and  as  he  was  a  man  of  good  judgment, 
and  familiar  with  such  circumstances,  I  was  induced  to  estimate 
the  danger  of  our  situation  in  proportion  to  his  fears.  We  were, 
however,  under  the  necessity  of  passing  within  sight  of  the  com 
pany.  They  no  sooner  discovered  us,  than  several  ran  rudely 
towards  us.  To  our  satisfaction,  at  this  juncture,  a  sober  young 
man  came  to  us,  with  whom  Hembus  was  acquainted,  which  at 


INDIAN   MISSIONS.  67 

once  dissipated  his  fears.  An  elderly  man,  considerably  intoxi 
cated,  as  he  made  towards  us,  threatened  personal  injury.  But 
being  told  by  the  sober  young  man  that  Hembus  was  his  friend, 
and  that  1  was  a  good  man,  he  left  off  his  threatening.  Hem- 
bus  took  my  horse,  and  examined  the  river,  and  finding  that  I 
could  cross  without  swimming,  drove  the  horse  across  back  to 
me,  and  I  rode  him  over. 

Hembus,  who  had  met  with  an  acquaintance  with  whom  he 
could  rest  contentedly,  and  being  much  fatigued  by  travelling  on 
foot,  now  proposed  to  go  no  further ;  and  that  I  should  proceed 
alone,  and  he  would  remain  here  until  I  should  return.  We 
were  more  than  sixty  miles  from  Fort  Wayne,  the  way  a  wil 
derness,  through  which  I  had  never  passed,  and  the  waters  high, 
so  that  I  could  not  think  of  getting  on  alone.  With  some 
persuasion  he  consented  to  proceed  five  miles  further,  to  the 
residence  of  Joseph  Richardvilie,  son  of  Pishewa,  the  chief. 
When  we  arrived,  we  found  that  he.  with  those  about  him,  were 
also  engaged  in  a  bacchanalian  revel.  He  was  at  the  time 
asleep  in  his  house,  while  several  women  without  were  making 
much  noise.  Hembus  was  afraid  to  awaken  him;  and,  in  wait 
ing,  we  spent  an  hour  or  two  very  disagreeably,  on  account  of 
the  drunken  Indians,  who  crowded  about  us.  In  the  mean 
time  Hembus  had  quietly  found  a  small  hole  in  the  wall,  through 
which  he  could  discover  the  sleeper  within,  and  to  which,  with 
some  impatience,  he  often  applied  his  eye.  Oh  !  what  a  wretch 
ed  people! 

We  had  no  sooner  made  our  acquaintance  with  Richardvilie, 
than  he  washed  the  paint,  &,c.,  from  his  face,  and  required 
others  around  him  to  do  the  same ;  and  some,  who  were  too 
far  overcome  with  ardent  spirits  to  obey,  were  sent  away,  being 
told  that  they  must  not  annoy  the  good  man  who  had  come 
among  them. 

I  endeavoured  to  hire  a  horse  for  Hembus  to  ride,  but  failed. 
1  was  in  a  strait  when  Richardvilie  consented  to  bear  me  com 
pany.  He  was  exceedingly  hospitable,  and  on  the  following 
morning  we  proceeded.  The  Wabash  river  intervened  between 
this  and  Foil  Wayne,  which  was  now  swimming  deep,  and  had 
to  be  crossed  where  no  one  resided.  Hembus  agreed  that  on  a 
certain  day,  which  1  named,  he  would  meet  me  at  the  river  on 
my  return,  to  aid  me  in  recrossing.  Richardvilie  and  I  swam 
our  horses,  and  crossed  ourselves  in  a  small  canoe.  We  slept 
in  an  Indian  village,  and  the  next  day  we  swam  our  horses 
across  St.  Mary's  river,  and  reached  Fort  Wayne. 

I  persevered  in  my  purpose  to  get,  if  possible,  permission  to 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


settle  at  the  Miarnie  villages  on  Massassinawa.  But  the  agent, 
the  principal  Miamie  chief,  and  many  others,  were  united  in 
endeavouring  to  bring  us  to  Fort  Wayne,  and  I  was  under  the 
necessity  of  consenting.  True,  it  was  a  central  point  between 
Shawanoes,  Putawatomies,  Miamies,  and  others,  a  trading  post 
to  which  many  Indians  resorted,  and  from  which  we  could  ex 
tend  our  acquaintance  among  the  Indians  in  every  direction  ; 
and  as  we  could  get  buildings  and  a  garden  to  occupy,  without 
cost,  I  consoled  myself  somewhat,  by  supposing  that  we  should 
lose  little  by  stopping  there,  and  we  should,  perhaps,  while  at 
that  place,  be  able  to  make  the  most  judicious  selection  for  our 
permanent  settlement. 

There  were  other  considerations  which  weighed  heavily  in 
favour  of  accepting  the  invitation  to  Fort  Wayne.  We  began 
to  perceive  that  we  had  been  mistaken  in  supposing  that  so 
much  sympathy  for  the  Indians  could  be  excited  in  the  Chris 
tian  public,  that  a  competent  number  of  missionaries  could  be 
obtained.  As  yet,  none  'had  become  willing  to  unite  with  us  in 
our  work.  Our  family  had  increased  to  the  number  of  about 
twenty  persons,  and  half  of  these  were  Indian  children.  No 
one  female  could  be  supposed  to  possess  either  muscle  or  mind 
sufficient  to  sustain  the  charge  which  devolved  on  Mrs.  McCoy. 
In  my  absence,  the  care  of  every  thing  without  doors,  as  well 
as  within,  came  upon  her.  She  seemed  to  be  sinking  with 
fatigue  and  anxiety.  At  Massassinawa,  a  place  still  more  remote 
from  supplies,  and  from  places  where  labourers  could  be  hired, 
and  from  which  our  circumstances  would  oftener  carry  me  from 
home,  these  difficulties  would  be  augmented.  Moreover,  the 
erection  of  buildings  would  be  attended  with  considerable  cost, 
especially  so  far  from  the  settlements  of  labouring  people  ;  and 
we  were  not  quite  certain  that  the  Board  would  agree  to  meet 
the  expense  of  erecting  buildings,  &c. 

The  chief  attention  of  the  board  was  directed  to  Burmah 
and  other  countries  beyond  the  seas,  and  missions  to  the  In 
dians  were  a  matter  of  no  more  than  secondary  consideration  ; 
and  upon  the  mission  begun  at  St.  Louis,  and  designed  to  be 
extended  to  Indians  west  of  the  Mississippi,  their  favours  for 
Indians  would  probably  be  exhausted.  Neither  the  particu 
lar  members  of  the  board  of  missions,  nor  others,  seemed  to 
feel  so  much  interest  in  the  subject  of  Indian  missions  as  to 
make  themselves  tolerably  well  acquainted  with  it.  The  public 
conjectured  that  a  people  so  wretched  as  these  Indians  are 
would  eagerly  seize  our  offers  to  do  them  good,  and  were  not 
prepared  to  make  any  allowance  for  the  thousand  disappoint- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  69 

merits  and  delays  to  which  we  were  subject,  especially  when 
labouring  under  so  many  disadvantages. 

We  did  exceedingly  regret  that  we  had  not  heard  our  patrons 
say  to  us,  "  Seek  out  the  most  eligible  site  for  your  location, 
and  study  the  most  hopeful  means  and  measures  for  accomplish 
ing  the  designs  of  the  mission  ;  take  time  to  confer  freely  with 
us;  give  yourselves  wholly  to  these  things,  and  we  will  take 
care  that  the  necessaries  of  life  shall  be  furnished  you."  Had 
they  given  us  this  assurance,  our  course  of  proceedings,  from 
the  first,  would,  in  many  respects,  have  been  different  from 
what  it  was. 

The  hardheartedness  of  the  frontier  white  inhabitants,  and 
other  causes,  were  driving  the  Indians  further  from  our  house, 
so  that  we  could  not  hope  to  enlarge  our  school  or  improve  our 
operations  in  that  place.  If  our  business  should  appear  to  the 
board  to  be  stationary  upon  its  present  small  scale,  we  should 
soon  expect  them  to  advise  the  discontinuance  of  our  labours, 
especially  as  they  had  not,  as  we  believed,  felt  altogether 
hearty  in  sustaining  them.  We  were  obliged,  therefore,  as 
soon  as  possible,  to  get  to  some  place  where  we  could  in 
crease  the  number  of  Indian  scholars,  and  be  able  to  make  it 
appear  to  the  public  that  our  business  was  improving.  Neces 
sity,  and  not  choice,  compelled  us  to  consent  to  go  to  Fort 
Wayne. 

In  returning  from  Fort  Wayne  I  had  the  company  of  a  white 
man  forty  miles,  when  I  hired  an  India'n  lad  to  go  with  me  as  far 
as  the  crossing  of  Wabash  river,  which  was  still  swimming  deep. 
I  was  a  day  later  than  the  time  appointed  for  Silk  Hernbus  to 
meet  me  there,  to  aid  me  in  crossing ;  and  I  had  some  fears  that 
I  should  not  find  him  at  the  place,  But  as  I  came  near  the 
crossing  I  heard  him  hallooing  for  me  in  the  woods,  on  the  op 
posite  side  of  the  river.  He  had  come  to  the  place  on  the  day 
appointed,  and  had  waited  for  me.  This  was  an  instance  of 
fidelity  in  an  Indian  truly  honourable. 

After  I  had  crossed,  he  said  he  was  exceedingly  hungry,  and 
hasted  to  put  upon  the  coals  a  piece  of  a  turkey  he  had  killed ; 
and,  rather  than  detain  me  long,  was  about  to  eat  it  before  it 
was  cooked ;  when  I  prevented  him  by  opening  my  provision 
sack,  and  requiring  him  to  take  time  to  eat. 

The  next  day,  March  30,  we  left  camp  very  early ;  and,  not 
withstanding  we  lost  our  way,  and  travelled  till  near  twelve 
o'clock  before  we  got  right  again,  we  should  have  made  a  tole 
rable  day's  journey,  had  not  my  travelling  companion,  who  was 
on  foot,  tired  again.  In  the  forenoon  of  the  31st  we  reached  the 


70 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


place  where  we  bad  left  his  horse.  We  had  been  absent  ten 
days,  and  it  was  by  this  time  not  an  easy  matter  to  follow  the 
horse's  tracks.  With  a  search  of  about  four  hours  we  recovered 
him,  hobbled  as  we  had  left  him.  Hembus  lost  nothing  of  the 
things  which  we  had  left,  except  a  little  storage  on  his  saddle 
and  bridle,  which  some  animal  of  the  woods  had  taken  in  ad 
vance,  to  satisfy  its  appetite.  On  the  2d  of  April  we  arrived  at 
the  mission  house. 

The  night  of  the  4th  of  April  Ben  Gray  and  an  aged  Dela 
ware  lodged  at  the -mission  house.  I  had  by  this  time  become 
capable  of  conversing  somewhat  in  the  Delaware  language.  In 
conversation  on  the  subject  of  religion,  some  inquiries  were 
made  respecting  their  views  of  futurity.  The  old  man,  who 
was  chief  speaker,  said  they  believed  that  virtuous  persons,  such 
as  would  not  steal,  get  drunk,  swear,  [they  have  no  profane 
swearing  in  Indian,]  commit  murder,  and  the  like,  but  who  re 
turned  thanks  to  Ke-esh-she-la-moh-ko,  (our  Creator,)  for  their 
food  and  drink,  their  clothes,  and  other  good  things,  would,  after 
death,  go  to  God.  There  the  inhabitants  live  in  large  houses, 
clean  and  comfortable,  made  of  cedar,  or  some  such  wood, 
which  emits  a  pleasant  odour.  There  would  be  a  great  plenty 
of  deer,  bears,  and  turkeys,  and  all  very  fat.  The  inhabitants 
would  always  have  plenty,  and  would  spend  most  of  their  time 
in  singing.  Such  as  were  bad,  were  unthankful,  would  steal,  and 
do  other  bad  things,  would  go  toMuh-tunh-to,  (the  devil;)  there 
they  would  be  punished  in  a  manner  similar  to  their  manner  of 
sinning  whilst  upon  earth.  If  the  man  had  been  a  drunkard  upon 
earth,  he  would,  in  the  world  of  spirits,  be  compelled  to  drink 
hot  whiskey,  and  thus  it  would  be  in  regard  to  the  several 
crimes  which  each  had  committed  upon  earth.  All  had  to 
-dwell  in  a  great  fire. 

From  a  correspondence,  for  a  few  months,  between  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Peck,  one  of  the  board's  missionaries  to  the  Mis 
sissippi,  we  had  been  led  to  hope  that  he  would  have  been 
at  my  house  about  the  time  of  my  return  from  Fort  Wayne, 
and  that  he  would  become  united  with  us  in  labour.  It  was  a 
grief  to  receive  a  communication  from  him  which  made  us  des 
pair  of  the  happiness  which  we  had  anticipated,  of  having  him 
associated  with  us.  On  my  return  from  Fort  Wayne,  I  had 
only  two  days'  rest  before  our  business  required  me  to  make 
another  journey  to  Vincennes,  on  which  it  was  necessary  for 
Mr.  Lykins  to  accompany  me,  so  that  Mrs.  McCoy  was  left  in 
charge  of  the  whole  concern,  without  the  aid  of  even  a  hired 
man.  In  the  ten  days'  absence  on  this  last  journey,  1  under- 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


71 


went  more  fatigue  in  travelling,  and  exposure  by  riding  in  the 
night,  than  my  slender  constitution  could  bear,  and  I  had  hardly 
reached  home  when  I  was  attacked  with  vomiting  and  fever. 
We  became  very  uneasy,  lest,  on  this  account,  our  removal  to 
Fort  Wayne,  to  which  we  now  attached  much  importance, 
should  be  delayed.  The  Lord  pitied  and  spared,  and  it  was 
not  long  until  I  was  again  able  to  attend  to  business. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Removal  to  Fort  Wayne.  The  School  prospers.  Baptisms. 
Journey  to  Ohio.  Sickness.  Journey  to  Vincennes.  Arri 
val  of  a  Missionary.  Awful  effects  of  Intemperance.  Em 
barrassments  for  want  of  the  means  of  support.  Baptism 
of  a  Delaware  woman.  Difficulties  in  obtaining  School 
Teachers. 

On  the  3d  of  May,  1820,  a  batteau,  containing  most  of  our 
moveables,  and  pushed  up  the  Wabash  river  by  four  men,  with 
poles,  left  Fort  Harrison  for  the  direction  of  Fort  Wayne.  We 
had  only  six  Indian  children  to  take  with  us,  five  of  whom  went 
in  the  boat,  and  one  accompanied  my  family  by  land.  We  left 
our  first  two  children  at  different  places  in  the  State  of  Indi 
ana,  and  on  the  4th  May  I  started  to  Fort  Wayne,  by  land,  on 
horseback,  with  my  wife,  six  of  our  children,  and  an  Indian 
boy,  and  one  hired  man  besides  Mr.  Lykins.  We  drove  with 
us  fifteen  head  of  cattle  and  forty-three  swine.  Eighteen  or 
twenty  of  the  natives  encamped  near  us  the  first  night ;  some 
said  they  would  go  with  us  the  whole  journey,  for  the  purpose- 
of  assisting  us,  and  some  for  the  purpose  of  sending  their  chil 
dren  to  our  school.  The  first  night  was  rainy,  and  not  a  little 
disagreeable  for  women  and  children  to  lodge  on  the  ground 
amidst  the  wet  bushes  and  weeds. 

On  the  following  day,  as  we  passed  an  Indian  village,  we 
were  informed  that  Stone-Eater,  the  principal  Wea  chief,  had 
recently  been  murdered  by  one  of  his  own  people.  A  friend  of 
the  deceased  followed  and  brought  back  the  murderer,  who  was 
put  to  death,  and  both  corpses  were  then  buried  in  the  same 
grave.  This  circumstance  had  occasioned  a  considerable  ex 
citement.  Among  the  questions  which  were  to  be  settled,  was 
one  in  relation  to  the  succession  to  the  principal  chieftaincy.  At 
this  village  our  whimsical  Indians,  who  had  set  out  to  go  with. 


7-1 


HISTORY  OK  BAPTIST 


us  to  Fort  Wayne,  all  deserted  us.  Considerable  numbers 
visited  our  camp  that  evening  and  the  following  morning.  We 
were  in  great  need  of  assistance,  but  could  get  none  of  them 
without  greater  wages  than  we  could  afford. 

Neither  cattle  nor  swine  had  ever  been  seen  in  the  Massas- 
sinawa  villages,  nor  had  a  family  of  white  people,  in  like  manner, 
ever  passed  that  way.  From  the  insolence  of  the  Indians  to 
white  men,  at  divers  times,  when  travelling  through  their  villa 
ges,  we  had  great  reason  to  fear  some  serious  interruption,  espe 
cially  if  the  Indians  should  be  engaged  in  drinking,  which  was 
probable.  We  had  endeavoured  to  hire  one  or  two  Indians  to 
accompany  us,  to  inform  others  who  we  were,  and  what  were 
our  reasons  for  passing  through  their  country,  but  they  had  de 
serted  us  on  the  way.  We  had  not  even  an  interpreter,  to  ena 
ble  us  to  converse  with  them.  By  an  old  Indian,  who,  with  his 
wife,  had  travelled  with  us  a  day  and  a  half,  we  sent  a  commu 
nication  to  Joseph  Richardville,  who  had  recently  treated  us  so 
kindly,  desiring  him  to  meet  us,  or  to  send  some  suitable  person 
to  us,  to  accompany  us  through  the  villages,  that  we  might  be 
saved  from  insult  and  injury.  We  placed  in  the  old  man's  hands 
a  reward  for  the  service  he  had  undertaken,  with  which  he  ap 
peared  perfectly  satisfied.  But  he  deceived  us,  and  we  heard  no 
more  of  him.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  6th 
day.  May  10th,  we  were  within  three  miles  of  the  first  Massas- 
sinawa  villages.  Hearing  nothing  from  either  our  Indian  mes 
senger  or  Richardville,  we  halted  the  company,  and  leaving 
only  one  man  with  them,  Mr.  Lykins  and  I  set  off  to  find  Rich 
ardville.  On  entering  the  first  village,  we  saw  a  company  at 
no  great  distance,  sitting  on  the  ground,  who  Mr.  Lykins  said  he 
thought  were  eating.  On  approaching  them,  we  found  one  car 
rying  around  a  vessel  of  whiskey,  and  giving  to  each  a  sip  from 
a  ladle  which  he  put  to  the  mouth  of  each  with  his  own  hand. 
Two  of  them  arose  and  gave  us  their  hand  in  friendship.  As 
we  passed  on  we  discovered  that  the  villages  were  in  an  uproar. 
Many  were  seen  riding  and  running  in  various  directions,  by 
far  the  greater  part  of  whom  were  intoxicated ;  all,  however, 
appeared  friendly  except  one,  who  came  towards  us,  holding  a 
small  dead  dog  by  the  heels,  apparently  with  the  design  of 
throwing  it  upon  one  of  us.  I  was  holding  myself  in  readiness 
to  dodge,  when  a  young  man  of  our  acquaintance,  though  him 
self  intoxicated,  spoke  to  the  insolent  Indian,  upon  which  he 
turned  away  and  left  us.  Richardville  received  us  with  his  ac 
customed  urbanity;  said  he  would  give  notice  to  the  Indians  of 
our  approach,  and  would  require  them  to  allow  us  to  pass  un- 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  73 

molested  ;  and,  further,  that  with  one  or  two  others  he  would 
meet  us  on  the  following  day,  and  pilot  and  otherwise  assist  us 
in  getting  through  the  towns. 

As  we  returned  we  saw  many  drunken  wretches,  among 
whom  was  one  that,  Mr.  L.  said  to  rne,  came  running  after  usr 
to  which  remark  I  paid  no  particular  attention,  but  as  I  stopped 
my  horse  to  speak  to  some  decent  looking  young  men,  this  fel 
low,  who  was  in  chase,  seized  my  horse  by  the  bridle,  cursing 
me  bitterly  with  English  oaths.  I  could  not  tell  what  he  want 
ed.  The  young  men  present  instantly  spoke  to  him,  but  spake 
as  if  they  were  themselves  afraid  of  him.  I  discovered  that  he 
was  in  a  rage.  I  had  no  weapon  of  defence  about  me ;  and 
made  no  effort  to  escape,  but  kept  my  eye  closely  upon  him 
while  he  held  my  horse  with  his  left  hand,  and  with  his- 
right  felt  around  his  belt  for  his  knife.  I  determined,  in  the 
moment  of  haste,  that  so  soon  as  I  saw  the  knife  in  his 
hand,  I  would  throw  myself  off  my  horse  on  the  opposite 
side,  and  then  shift  as  circumstances  might  dictate.  Provi 
dentially,  at  that  moment,  one  Lewis  Godfrey,  an  Indian 
somewhat  related  to  the  French,  rose  up  the  river  bank  on 
which  we  were,  and  on  discovering  my  situation  called  out 
to  the  Indian  who  was  endeavouring  to  injure  me.  This  di 
verted  his  attention  from  me  long  enough  for  him  to  turn  his 
eyes  towards  Godfrey,  but  he  showed  no  disposition  to  desist 
from  his  malicious  purpose.  Godfroy,  however,  prevailed 
on  him  to  desist.  Godfroy,  who  could  speak  a  little  English, 
then  told  us  to  follow  him,  saying,  "  me  horse  very  good  for 
run."  He  also  called  upon  a  young  man,  who  by  this  time 
had  come  to  us,  with  whom  we  were  slightly  acquainted,  to  ac 
company  us ;  and  so  we  all  rode  on,  and  when  drunken  Indians 
came  near  us  we  galloped  the  faster,  and  kept  out  of  their  hands. 
When  we  were  entirely  beyond  the  last  houses,  our  two  con 
ductors  turned  back,  promising  to  be  at  our  camp  early  the  next 
morning.  This  was  a  noble  act  of  friendship.  To  their  drink 
ing  may  be  attributed  the  breach  of  their  promise  to  meet  us  on 
the  following  day.  To  save  Mrs.  McCoy  and  others  from  anxi 
ety,  1  requested  Mr.  L.  not  to  inform  them  of  the  insolence  of 
the  Indians.  We  got  back  to  our  camp  at  dark.  After  others 
had  pretty  generally  lain  down,  I  noted  in  my  journal  the  adven 
tures  of  the  day,  and  carefully  put  my  papers  in  my  saddlebags, 
lest  my  wife  should  see  them,  and  become  acquainted  with  the 
unpleasantness  of  our  circumstances.  This  was  a  night  of  great 
anxiety  to  me.  Here  lay  my  wife  and  our  little  ones,  in  this 
desert.  We  were  so  hemmed  in  by  Massassinawa  and  W abash 

10 


74 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


rivers,  and  the  dense  forest  around  us,  that  we  could  not  possibly 
go  around  the  Indian  settlements.  There  wao  no  alternative,  but 
either  to  attempt  to  goon  through  the  villages, or  to  retrace  our 
steps  of  five  days'  journey. 

On  the  following  morning,  May  llth,  I  went  alone  towards 
the  villages,  in  the  hopes  of  meeting  and  hastening  Richardville, 
or  some  one  whom  he  might  send  to  aid  us.     Finding  noner 
and  despairing  of  obtaining  any  assistance,  I  concluded  that 
we  would  commend  ourselves  to  the  care  of  a  kind  Provi 
dence,  and  move  forward  without  it.     In  my  absence  on  that 
morning,   my  wife,  for  the  purpose  of  filling  up  some  lonely 
moments  in  the  woods,  had  found  my  journal,  and  on  my  re 
turning  to  camp  smiled  at  the  pains  1  had  unsuccessfully  taken 
to  conceal  from  her  the  impudence  of  the  Indians.     She,  how 
ever,  cheerfully  consented  that  we  should  make  a  trial  to  pro 
ceed.     Our  design  was  to  stop  the  stock  before  we  entered 
the  settlement,  and  to  endeavour  to   get   my  family  through 
first.     We  had  proceeded  about  one  mile,  when,  to  our  great 
satisfaction,  two  Indians  met  us,  who  had  been  sent  to  our  as 
sistance  by  Richardville ;  as  an  apology  for  not  coming  in  per 
son,  he  informed  us  that  a  friend  had  died,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  attend  the   funeral.     We  discovered  that  our  coming  was 
universally   known.      Children   and  others  had  placed   them 
selves  behind  trees,  for  some  distance  along  the  road,  before  we 
reached  the  town,  through  curiosity  to  see  us.     Hundreds  of 
eyes  were  staring  at  us.     Many  were  intoxicated,  but  were  kept 
out  of  our   way  by  those   more  sober.     All  appeared  cheer 
ful  and  pleasant.     They  kept  the  way  open  for  us  to  pass,  and 
did  not  allow  their  dogs  to  frighten  our  stock ;  our  guides  were 
active,  and  took  much  pains  to  make  our  passage  safe.     Having 
gone  beyond  the  villages,  we  rewarded  our  guides  and  they  re 
turned.    It  rained  on  us  a  good  deal  through  the  day,  which  les 
sened  the  comfort  of  our  night's  lodging  on  the  ground.     After 
several  hours'  labour  in  drying  our  clothes,  we  were  compelled  to 
lie  down  in  them  wet.     On  the  two  following  days  it  rained 
upon   us  severely.     We  sometimes  in   heavy  showers  threw 
blankets  about  the  children,  to  shelter  them  a  little.     Wearing 
wet  clothes  through  the  day,  and  sleeping  in  them  on  the  ground 
through  the  night,  endangered  our  health,  but  it  could  not  be 
avoided. 

We  passed  through  two  Indian  villages,  near  one  of  which 
we  were  deeply  affected  at  seeing  a  mother  in  a  swamp,  digging 
wild  roots  for  subsistence,  with  one  child  tied  on  her  back,  and 
another  standing  by  her  side.  We  arrived  at  Fort  Wayne  on 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


75 


the  15th  of  May,  after  a  journey  through  the  woods  of  eleven 
days.  A  few  days  afterwards  our  boat  reached  the  portage, 
and  we  found  ourselves  safely  housed  in  the  public  buildings, 
and  had  also  about  two  acres  of  land,  already  ploughed,  fur 
nished  us  for  a  garden  gratuitously. 

At  Fort  Wayne  was  a  little  village  of  traders,  and  of  persons 
in  the  employ  of  Government,  as  interpreters,  smiths,  &c., 
some  of  whom  were  French,  of  Canadian  and  of  Indian  de 
scent.  The  nearest  settlements  of  white  people  were  in  the 
State  of  Ohio,  and  nearly  one  hundred  miles  distant.  By  our 
neighbours  we  were  treated  with  great  kindness  and  respect, 
which  created  affectionate  recollections  which  years  of  separa 
tion  have  not  obliterated.  I  preached  to  them  in  my  own  house 
every  Sabbath.  A  few  days  after  we  reached  Fort  Wayne,  Mr. 
Lykins's  engagements  with  us  terminated,  and  he  returned  to  the 
settlements  on  Wabash. 

On  the  29th  of  May  our  school  was  opened  at  Fort  Wayne; 
I  was  teacher  myself.  We  commenced  with  ten  English  scho 
lars,  six  French,  eight  Indians,  and  one  negro;  the  latter  we 
hoped  would  one  day  find  his  way  to  Liberia,  in  Africa.  We 
had  opportunities  daily  of  conversing  with  Indians  of  different 
tribes.  On  the  4th  of  June,  some  with  whom  I  was  conversing 
informed  me  that  they  had  to  attend,  near  our  place,  the  cere 
mony  of  making  an  atonement  for  the  dead :  they  term  it  "  cov 
ering  the  dead,"  A  few  weeks  previously  a  woman  had  killed 
her  husband.  In  those  cases  the  nearest  relative  to  the  deceased 
has  a  right  to  take  the  life  of  the  murderer ;  but  if  the  offender, 
either  in  person  or  by  his  friends,  offer  to  the  offended  party 
such  an  amount  of  property  as  will  satisfy  them,  they  may  ac 
cept  it  as  an  atonement  for  the  crime,  and  let  the  offender  go 
free ;  but  it  is  discretionary  with  the  offended  to  accept  the 
atonement  or  not.  Notice  is  given  to  the  injured  party  that  an 
atonement  will  be  offered.  The  time  and  place  being  agreed 
upon,  the  parties  meet;  the  offender  is  usually  present;  the 
price  of  atonement,  which  may  consist  of  blankets,  clothing, 
horses,  or  any  other  property,  is  placed  together,  not  far  from 
which  the  offender  takes  his  seat  on  the  earth,  and  bows  his 
face  towards  the  ground,  in  token  of  submission.  The  offended 
party  then  decide  whether  they  will  accept  the  price  of  atone 
ment,  or  will  take  the  life  of  the  culprit,  and  they  proceed  im 
mediately  to  do  the  one  or  the  other.  In  the  present  case  the 
murderess  had  concealed  herself,  and  her  friends  had  procured 
and  offered  in  her  behalf  two  suits  of  clothes,  which  were 


76 


H1STOKY  OF  BAPTIST 


accepted.     About  this  time  they  had  a  great  dance  and  parade, 
when  adopting  one  in  room  of  a  person  who  had  died. 

1  wrote  to  the  State  of  Ohio,  to  hire  a  man  to  teach  our 
school,  and  on  the  llth  of  June  Mr.  P r  arrived  for  that  pur 
pose.  We  had  so  much  business  on  hand  that  every  thing 
could  not  be  well  attended  to.  A  teacher  for  the  school  pro 
mised  some  relief.  We  hired  an  Indian  woman  to  assist  in 
domestic  labours,  but  she  afforded  little  help.  Besides  the  care 
of  eight  Indian  children,  and  six  of  our  own,  the  whole  charge 
of  the  family,  consisting  of  about  twenty  persons,  devolved  on 
Mrs.  McCoy  ;  she  also  endeavoured  to  instruct  neighbouring 
Indian  females  in  the  art  of  knitting,  and  other  domestic  labours. 
We  had  to  work  hard  with  our  own  hands.  The  Indian  chil 
dren  were  clothed,  and  fed,  and  lodged,  at  the  expense  of  the 
mission  ;  they  fed  at  the  same  table  with  my  own  family.  This 
^course  was  necessary,  in  order  to  silence  the  jealousies  of  the 
Indians  generally,  and  this  course  we  ever  after  pursued. 

Mrs.  Turner,  the  wife  of  the  agent,  was  a  half  Indian,  who, 
with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Haekley,  had  received  a  decent  education. 
Their  relations  among  the  Miamies  were  influential,  for  the  im 
provement  of  the  condition  of  whom,  and  for  the  welfare  of  all 
die  Indians,  these  women  manifested  a  commendable  solicitude. 
Mrs.  Turner  was  indisposed,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  6th  of 
June  Mrs.  McCoy  left  her  in  much  darkness  and  distress  on 
account  of  her  sins.  In  the  night  she  sent  for  Mrs.  M.,  who, 
fearing  -that  she  had  become  more  indisposed,  hastened  to  her 
room,  when  she  was  agreeably  disappointed  ;  for  on  entering 
her  room,  Mrs.  T.  said,  "  I  have  sent  for  you  to  tell  you  how 
happy  1  feel."  She  gave  satisfactory  evidence  of  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  for  some  days  enjoyed  great  peace  of  mind. 
By  the  reading  of  the  Bible,  previous  to  our  going  to  Fort 
Wayne,  her  mind  had  become  much  exercised  upon  the  subject 
of  religion,  and  she  had  enjoyed  some  manifestations  of  mercy, 
but  still  could  not  hope  that  she  was  really  a  Christian.  In 
reading  those  passages  in  the  Bible  which  spoke  of  God's  dis 
pleasure  with  the  heathen,  she  supposed  that  as  she  was  an  In 
dian  they  applied  to  her,  and  that  therefore  she  had  no  right  to 
hope  for  mercy.  Upon  the  subject  of  baptism  her  mind  was 
clear,  but,  on  account  of  scruples  of  her  husband,  her  baptism 
was  deferred  for  several  months,  and  until  he  consented. 

About  this  time  her  sister,  Mrs.  Haekley,  also  gave  satisfac 
tory  evidence  of  conversion  to  the  faith  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
Her  baptism  took  place  on  the  18th  of  June.  The  scene  was 
novel  to  all,  both  white  and  red,  and  on  that  account  excited 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


77 


the  more  interest.  At  ten  o'clock  I  preached  on  the  subject  of 
baptism.  We  then  assembled  at  the  fort  gate,  about  sixty 
yards  from  the  brink  of  the  river  Maumee.  As  the  procession 
moved  to  the  water,  we  sung — 

"  Thee,  great  Jehovah,  we  adore, 

Who  came  the  lost  to  seek  and  save,"  &c.  &c. 

At  the  water  we  sung  the  following  lines,  which  had  been 
prepared  for  the  occasion  : 

Glad  tidings,  so  the  angels  sung, 

Until  the  heavens  with  gladness  rung ; 
Glad  tidings  late  my  soul  replied, 

For  me  my  Lord  was  crucified. 

"The  news  shall  spread  through  all  the  earth," 

So  sang  the  host  at  Jesus'  birth. 
Ye  gentle  waves,  I  call  on  you 

To  say,  is  not  this  promise  true  ? 

This  very  stream  was  lately  stained 

With  blood  from  strangling  soldiers  drained ;  * 

Now,  strange  to  tell,  the  Prince  of  Peace 
In  it  displays  his  sovereign  grace. 

Ye  oaks,  which  shook  while  cannons  roar'd, 
Now  bow  your  heads  and  praise  the  Lord ; 

Tell  the  wild  man  beneath  your  shade 
Why  Christ  in  Jordan's  stream  was  laid. 

Those  warlike  towers  on  yonder  wall,t 

Like  those  of  Jericho,  must  fall, 
While  deathful  weapons  dormant  lie — 

Shout,  saints,  the  Ark  is  passing  by. 

Ye  winds,  which  spread  the  news  of  death, 

No  longer  breathe  offensive  breath ; 
But  the  glad  tidings  loud  proclaim, 

"  Here  saints  rejoice  in  Jesus'  name." 

Sure  all  who  hear  will  join  and  sing, 

Glory  to  God,  our  Christ  is  King. 
Still  let  the  Gospel  spread  abroad, 

Till  all  the  world  shall  worship  God. 

The  mixed  assembly,  consisting  of  whites  and  Indians,  be 
haved  well ;  many  appeared  serious,  and  some  shed  tears.  As 
the  candidate  carne  out  of  the  water,  an  elderly  white  wToman, 
who  in  earlier  life  had  been  prisoner  many  years  with  the  In 
dians,  took  her  by  the  hand  and  said,  "  I  wish  it  was  my  case." 

*  Several  bloody  battles,  between  white  people  and  Indians,  had  been 
fought  at  and  near  Fort  Wayne ;  the  most  distressing  of  which,  on  the  part 
of  the  whites,  was  that  known  as  Harmar's  defeat,  when,  it  is  said,  dead 
corpses  almost  formed  a  dam  across  the  St.  Joseph's  river,  a  little  above  the 
place  of  baptizing. 

t  Military  Fortifications. 


78 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


The  afternoon's  service  was  better  attended  than  usual.  This 
was  a  good  day  to  a  couple  of  poor  missionaries,  who  hoped 
that  the  blessing  enjoyed  might  be  but  like  a  drop  before  a 
copious  shower. 

It  became  indispensable  to  make  a  journey  to  the  State  of 
Ohio,  in  order  to  purchase  supplies.  With  a  hired  Frenchman 
I  set  out  on  the  17th  of  June.  We  purchased  a  two  horse 
wagon,  a  spinning-wheel,  raw  materials  for  spinning,  &c.,  and 
hired  a  religious  young  woman  to  assist  in  domestic  labours.  I 
enjoyed  the  satisfaction  of  preaching  several  times  while  on  this 
journey,  and  once  to  a  little  few  in  a  remote  place,  who  seldom 
indeed  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  public  worship.  The  way  was 
chiefly  a  wilderness.  Water  at  that  time  was  very  scarce ;  we 
often  had  to  drink  of  filthy  ponds,  and  even  from  puddles  in  the 
road.  Much  of  the  way  I  had  to  drive  the  team  myself,  while 
the  Frenchman  looked  out  the  way  among  the  trees  and  brush. 
We  became  much  exhausted  with  heat  and  fatigue,  and  I  came 
home  sick. 

At  Fort  Wayne  the  necessaries  of  life  were  dear ;  our  flour 
and  meal  had  to  be  hauled  in  wagons  about  one  hundred  miles, 
and  most  of  the  way  through  a  wilderness  and  over  a  bad  road. 
Corn,  which  in  the  white  settlements  seldom  sold  for  more  than 
twenty-five  cents  per  bushel,  here  cost  one  dollar  and  a  half, 
and  two  dollars.  The  cost  of  supporting  so  large  a  family  as 
ours  became  pretty  heavy,  and  the  want  of  missionaries,  or 
persons  who  would  feel  some  interest  in  the  success  of  our  en 
terprise,  became  very  great.  With  a  view  of  obtaining  help 
in  both  these  matters,  I  issued  a  printed  circular,  in  which  were 
set  forth  our  want  of  assistance,  and  our  prayer  that  such  as 
could  delight  to  aid  the  work  of  Indian  improvement  would 
contribute  for  the  supply  of  the  wants  of  the  Indian  scholars, 
-clothing,  raw  materials  for  clothing,  books,  articles  of  food,  &ic. 
For  a  moderate  compensation  we  engaged  Mr.  Martin,  who 
had  been  our  first  school  teacher,  and  who  had  been  baptized 
at  our  house,  to  disseminate  those  circulars,  and  to  endeavour  to 
collect  for  the  support  of  the  mission  such  things  as  could  be 
obtained. 

After  my  return  from  Ohio  I  continued  unwell  for  several 
weeks,  and  until  my  symptoms  were  so  unfavourable  that  it  was 
deemed  expedient  by  those  about  me,  as  well  as  by  myself,  to 
send  for  a  physician,  who  came  ninety  miles  to  see  me.  Through 
mercy  1  was  again  restored.  The  first  year  of  my  services 
under  the  direction  of  the  board  they  gave  me  a  specific  sum 
lor  my  support,  and  which  was  sufficient,  and  barely  so,  for  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


79 


time.  After  the  year  for  which  1  was  appointed  had  expired, 
we  proceeded  several  months  without  knowing  from  whom  we 
should  receive  assistance,  or  whether  we  should  be  patronised 
by  any.  During  this  period  of  uncertainty,  and  ever  afterwards, 
we  kept  a  regular  account  of  our  expenditures  and  of  our  re 
ceipts  ;  and  when  we  were  assured  of  the  patronage  of  the 
board,  these  accounts,  in  the  form  of  debtor  and  creditor,  were 
from  time  to  time  forwarded  to  the  board.  Every  item  of 
expenditure  was  therefore  made  known  to  them.  The  board, 
however,  desired  me  to  accept  a  specific  salary  for  the  support 
of  myself  and  family,  and  that  these  accounts  should  embrace 
only  what  they  termed  extra  expenses.  But  the  Indian  pupils 
of  our  school,  and  all  whom  we  employed  to  aid  us,  either  in 
the  school  or  elsewhere,  fed  at  the  same  table,  and  the  Indian 
youths  were  also  clothed  and  lodged  at  the  mission ;  so  that  it 
was  impossible  for  us  to  keep  accounts  of  expenditures  for 
others,  distinct  from  those  of  myself  and  family. 

When  we  commenced  at  Fort  Wayne,  we  were  so  destitute 
of  the  furniture  necessary  for  the  comfort  of  so  large  a  family, 
that  we  were  actually  ashamed  of  our  poverty,  even  in  the 
presence  of  some  of  the  more  rational  Indians.  The  weather 
was  yet  warm,  and  a  small  amount  of  bedding  sufficed  ;  but  to 
keep  our  large  family  of  children  decently  clothed  was  not  an 
easy  matter.  No  greater  care  could  have  been  taken  in  relation 
to  food,  to  save  every  crumb  from  waste,  and  to  apply  every 
thing  to  the  best  advantage.  While  we  were  poor,  and  la 
boured  hard  with  our  own  hands  to  save  expense,  it  gave  us 
much  pain  to  ascertain  that  the  board  thought  that  our  expen 
ditures  for  a  living  were  too  great ;  so  little  did  they  understand 
our  condition,  or  the  circumstances  under  which  we  were  placed. 

On  the  23d  of  July  I  baptized  a  white  man,  when  I  was  so 
unwell  as  scarcely  to  be  able  to  walk  to  the  river.  By  the  19th 
of  August,  the  number  of  Indian  pupils  had  increased  to  nine 
teen,  among  whom  were  a  son  and  a  grandson  of  Pishewa,  the 
principal  Miamie  chief.  Pishewa  appeared  to  interest  himself 
much  in  favour  of  our  school ;  being  related  to  the  French,  he 
professed  to  be  a  Roman  Catholic,  in  matters  of  religion. 

There  was  a  Putawatomie  who  lived  some  sixty  or  seventy 
miles  from  us,  named  Peresh,  to  whom  I  sent  a  message  by  a 
Frenchman,  between  whom  and  the  Indian  the  following  con 
versation  took  place. 

Peresh. — Well,  my  brother,  how  does  your  school  at  Fort 
Wayne  come  on  ? 


80  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

Frenchman. — Very  well ;  there  are  twelve  or  fourteen  Indian 
children  who  attend  school:  they  are  the  children  of ,  &LC. 

Peresh. — Do  your  children  go  lo  school  ? 

Frenchman. — -Certainly — I  send  two. 

Peresh. — You  are  a  fool. 

Frenchman  laughs. 

Peresh. — You  need  not  laugh — you  will  know,  by  and  byf 
that  you  have  been  a  fool.  Do  you  think  that  that  mart 
(McCoy)  is  rich  enough  to  educate  all  our  children  for  nothing? 

Frenchman. — There  is  a  large  company  engaged  in  the  busi 
ness,  and  they  are  rich. 

Peresh. — If  they  are  rich  now,  they  intend  to  be  richer  here 
after.  After  our  children  have  been  with  them  a  long  time,  and 
have  been  taught  to  read  and  write,  they  will  make  us  pay 
dearly  for  their  education.  We  shall,  at  a  great  price,  have  to 
buy  them  back  again,  before  they  will  let  us  have  them.  1  was 
well  pleased  with  the  school  when  I  first  heard  of  it,  and  in 
tended  to  send  two  of  my  children  to  it ;  but  when  I  was  last 
at  Fort  Wayne,  I  was  told  what  I  now  tell  you. 

Such  jealousies  of  the  purity  of  our  motives,  as  the  foregoing 
conversation  discloses,  and  which  were  too  often  cherished  by 
persons  who  lived  upon  the  wretchedness  of  the  Indians,  were 
formidable  obstacles,  to  overcome  which  required  something 
more  than  a  hasty  interview — time  to  test  our  sincerity  was 
necessary.  Desirous  to  extend  our  operations  as  widely  as 
possible,  and  hoping  that  missionaries  would  be  found  to 
occupy  the  openings  which  we  might  be  instrumental  in  creat 
ing,  we  concluded  to  make  another  effort  to  do  something 
for  the  Shawanoes  of  Ohio.  In  August  I  wrote  to  the  Qua 
ker  missionaries  at  Waupaughkonetta,  that  if  it  would  be 
agreeable  to  them  I  would  like  to  visit  the  Shawanoes  of  that 
place,  and  take  a  few  of  their  children  into  our  school,  should 
any  consent  to  the  measure.  They  returned  a  modest  answer ; 
but  it  was  evident  that  they  preferred  that  we  should  not  make 
any  such  propositions  to  the  Shawanoes.  We  therefore  declined 
any  further  attempt  for  that  band. 

On  the  14th  of  August,  a  new  agent,  Mr.  Hays,  succeeded 
Dr.  Turner  in  the  agency.  Early  application  was  made  to  him 
for  permission  to  continue  our  residence  in  the  fort,  &,c.,  and 
to  request  his  favourable  countenance  of  our  undertaking,  so  far 
as  related  to  intercourse  with  the  Indians  within  his  agency. 
Our  requests  were  complied  with  cheerfully.  The  man  whom 
we  had  hired  to  teach  school  was  not  religious,  and  in  several 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


8t 


respects,  did  not  meet  our  reasonable  expectations,  and,  in  the- 
latter  part  of  August,  the  connection  between  us  was  dis 
solved,  and  we  engaged  another,  also  from  the  State  of  Ohio. 
Mrs.  McCoy  became  so  worn  down  with  care  and  fatigue  that 
a  little  respite  seemed  really  necessary.  At  the  same  time  it 
was  thought  that  she  could  render  some  service  to  the  mission, 
by  a  hasty  visit  to  Ohio.  She  left  home  on  the  last  day  of  Au 
gust,  and  was  absent  fifteen  days.  About  the  time  of  her  leav 
ing  home,  and  soon  after,  five  of  our  own  children  were  at 
tacked  with  bilious  fever,  and  a  little  later  two  of  the  Indian 
children  sickened ;  some  of  these  cases  were  severe,  but  none 
of  the  afflicted  died. 

By  the  20th  of  September  it  became  necessary  for  me  to- 
make  a  journey  to  Vincennes,  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred 
and  seventy  miles  ;  on  which  occasion  Mrs.  McCoy  was  ne 
cessarily  left  sole  manager  of  matters  at  the  mission  house. 
White  Raccoon  had  heard  that  we  were  to  pass  through  his 
village,  and  had  the  kindness  to  prepare  for  us  a  palatable  meal. 
I  was  now  travelling  with  a  gentleman  who  spoke  the  Miamie 
language,  so  that  1  could  communicate  with  the  people  among 
whom  I  travelled.  At  a  second  village  I  visited  and  conversed 
with  many.  On  the  following  night  (my  interpreter  not  being, 
in  company)  we  lodged  in  one  of  the  Massassinawa  villages. 
No  people  could  appear  more  hospitable  and  kind  than  the  In 
dians  were,  at  every  place  where  we  met  with  them.  Out  of 
respect,  and  with  a  view  to  our  comfort,  at  this  latter  place, 
they  swept  out  one  of  their  huts  for  our  accommodation.  True, 
the  wall  and  roof  of  the  house  were  bark,  and  the  floor  was  the 
earth,  but  it  was  the  best  that  they  could  do  for  us ;  they  took 
care  of  our  baggage  with  their  own  hands,  which  is  not  a  com 
mon  act  of  hospitality  with  them,  and  gave  us  a  supper  of  their 
boiled  bear's  meat.  The  great  kindness  of  the  Indians  shown 
me  now,  as  I  was  retracing  the  steps  which,  with  my  family,  I 
had  taken  about  five  months  before,  under  somewhat  different 
appearances,  was  a  matter  of  great  encouragement,  because  it 
evinced  that  they  now  indulged  a  favourable  opinion  of  the 
mission.  On  the  next  day  we  suffered  for  want  of  water ;  we  en 
camped  near  Lefambois's  village,  which  we  entered  on  the  fol 
lowing  morning  before  the  inhabitants  had  risen.  I  informed 
some  of  them  that  we  were  scarce  of  provisions,  who  had  the 
kindness  to  give  us  a  quart  of  sweet  corn  and  a  piece  of  boiled 
pumpkin.  The  former  served  for  our  supper  and  breakfast  at 
our  next  camp.  On  halting;  for  a  short  time  in  a  village,  I  was 
requested  to  visit  some  sick  persons  who  lay  in  a  little  hut: 

11 


82 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


one  of  whom  was  a  lad  reduced  to  a  skeleton  by  an  imposthurne 
on  the  hip,  and  who  appeared  to  be  near  eternity.  The  filthi- 
ness  and  wretchedness  of  these  poor  creatures,  within  a  little 
bark  hut,  without  a  floor,  with  a  smoking  fire  in  the  centre,  were 
indescribable.  Their  sufferings  awakened  the  tenderest  sym 
pathies  of  my  heart,  and  the  condition  of  their  souls  made  me 
tremble.  They  took  pains  to  make  me  understand  that  the 
suffering  young  man  had  been  at  my  house,  and  that  he  remem 
bered  our  kindness  to  him.  Alas,  for  want  of  a  sufficient 
knowledge  of  his  language,  1  was  not  able  to  make  an  expres 
sion  of  sympathy  by  telling  him  of  Jesus,  the  Saviour. 

The  land,  and  other  property,  belonging  to  the  mission,  or 
rather  to  the  board  of  missions,  except  the  little  which  we  trans 
ported  to  Fort  Wayne,  was  sold  and  accounted  for  to  the  board  ; 
and  to  attend  to  this  was  a  part  of  my  business  on  this  tour  to 
the  settlements. 

In  company  of  my  little  son  and  daughter,  whom  we  had  left 
in  the  white  settlements  when  we  went  to  Fort  Wayne,  and  a 
coloured  young  man,  I  entered  the  wilderness  on  my  return,  the 
14th  of  October.  The  preceding  night  it  had  rained  and 
snowed  so  that  it  was  unpleasant  under  foot,  and  more  so  above, 
as  the  snow  hung  heavily  upon  the  bushes  along  our  narrow 
path.  In  passing  through  an  Indian  village  which  the  inhabit 
ants  had  left  on  their  winter's  hunt,  we  noticed  that  they  had 
set  up  a  few  small  stakes  in  a  line,  with  a  piece  of  pumpkin  or 
something  else  on  the  top,  to  attract  notice,  and  the  stakes  in 
clined  to  the  direction  in  which  the  company  had  gone,  to  direct 
any  who  had  been  left  behind,  which  way  the  company  had 
journeyed.  We  encamped  near  Lefambois's  town,  where  we 
endeavoured  in  vain  to  purchase  a  feed  of  corn  for  our  horses. 
Without  solicitation,  a  woman  gave  us  a  piece  of  venison,  and 
early  on  the  following  morning  she  brought  to  our  camp  another 
present  of  the  same,  as  she  said,  for  my  children.  This  was  an 
act  of  kindness  very  grateful  to  us,  as  we  needed  provision  for 
our  journey. 

On  the  18th,  I  saw  where  an  infant  had  been  interred  in  a 
fallen  tree.  A  small  trough,  sufficient  to  contain  the  corpse, 
had  been  made  in  the  log  with  an  axe,  in  which  the  body  was 
laid.  Over  the  trough  was  placed  a  covering  of  bark,  and  a 
second  covering  consisting  of  a  piece  of  timber.  Stakes  were 
driven  into  the  earth  on  each  side  of  the  log,  and  at  a  little 
distance  from  it,  and  wood  was  piled  up  between  them  to  the 
height  of  five  or  six  feet,  so  that  the  dead  was  enclosed  within  a 
pile  of  wood  resembling  wood  in  cord. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  83 

This  method  of  interring  is  seldom  resorted  to  except  when 
the  earth  is  frozen,  or  when,  from  some  other  cause,  it  would  be 
difficult  for  them  to  excavate  it  with  the  implements  at  hand. 
Often,  too,  the  mother  of  the  new  born  infant  is  alone,  or  almost 
alone.  The  small  axe  is  invariably  carried  for  the  purpose  of 
preparing  a  temporary  shelter,  and  of  procuring  fuel ;  and  when, 
on  those  occasions,  death  bereaves  her  of  her  charge,  she  can 
in  this  way  more  conveniently  secure  it,  for  the  present,  from 
the  vermin,  than  by  placing  it  in  the  earth.  In  the  course  of  a 
few  years  the  stakes  decay,  and  the  timber  tumbles  down,  and 
in  a  few  instances  I  have  seen  the  skeleton  exposed.  Near  this 
grave  we  saw  also  the  board  upon  which  the  babe  had  been 
tied  while  alive.  This  piece  of  furniture  is  merely  a  smooth 
board,  a  little  longer  than  the  infant,  upon  which  it  is  placed 
upon  its  back,  and  made  fast  by  leather  strings  ;  a  wooden  bow 
encircles  its  head,  to  prevent  the  covering  from  lying  too  close 
upon  its  face.  This  is  a  convenient  method  of  taking  care  of 
an  infant,  and  one  which  has  been  suggested  by  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  these  people,  in  their  homeless  wanderings  in 
the  wilderness.  In  travelling,  it  is  swung  upon  the  shoulders 
of  the  mother,  and  carried  with  the  same  convenience  that  a 
soldier  carries  his  knapsack.  When  they  halt,  it  can  be  placed 
against  a  tree  or  wall  as  conveniently  as  we  place  our  shovel  and 
tongs,  and  with  less  danger  of  being  injured  than  if  it  were  laid 
upon  the  ground.  When,  at  camp,  it  becomes  necessary  to 
rock  the  child,  a  blanket  is  suspended  by  the  four  corners,  be* 
tween  two  trees  at  a  suitable  distance,  and  the  babe  is  swung 
backward  and  forward. 

In  my  absence,  several  of  the  family  had  been  sick.  Mrs. 
McCoy  had  taken  into  the  family  six  more  Indian  youths.  The 
whole  number  of  our  Indian  pupils  was  now  twenty-six.  By 
the  arrangements  of  the  board,  we  were  obliged  first  to  create 
accounts,  and  then  submit  them  for  payment.  No  money  being 
placed  in  our  hands,  with  which  to  purchase  supplies,  we  were 
compelled  to  go  in  debt  for  every  thing  we  needed  ;  this  sub 
jected  us  to  loss  as  well  as  inconvenience,  for  supplies  could  be 
procured  cheaper  for  cash  in  hand  than  upon  a  credit.  It  sub 
jected  us  to  much  anxiety  also,  because,  when  we  were  creating 
debts,  we  knew  not  that  our  accounts  would  be  approved  by  the 
board.  If  any  of  them  should  not,  then  we  would  at  once  be 
ruined,  because  we  could  not  command  the  means  of  paying  our 
debts.  With  a  family  of  twenty-six  Indian  children,  who,  besides 
clothing  and  lodging,  fed  at  our  table,  in  addition  to  the  residue 
of  our  family,  we  could  not  but  feel  anxious  concerning  the 


84  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

means  of  support.  Our  business,  also,  was  too  much  for  my 
wife  and  me  ;  we  often  worked  ourselves  sick,  and  then  grieved 
the  more  that  we  should  become  invalids  when  our  services 
could  so  illy  be  dispensed  with.  Our  multiform  labours  and 
cares  also  deprived  me  of  the  opportunity  of  studying  any  Indi 
an  language  to  advantage.  I  had  despaired  of  doing  any  thing 
for  the  Delawares,  who  were  to  remove  to  the  far  west,  and  had 
undertaken  to  study  Putawatomie,  but  I  could  give  no  attention 
to  it  only  as  I  could  snatch  a  few  minutes  occasionally  from  other 
•calls. 

On  the  1st  of  November,  1820,  we  were  overjoyed  at  the 
arrival  of  a  Mr.  Samuel  Hill,  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
who  came  as  a  missionary  to  labour  with  us.  He  immediately 
took  charge  of  the  school,  and  we  dismissed  our  hired  teacher. 
Mr.  Hill  was  a  single  man,  and  not  a  preacher.  For  some 
weeks  in  the  latter  part  of  October  and  the  fore  part  of  No 
vember  1  was  so  unwell  that  I  could  scarcely  attend  to  business 
that  called  me  out  of  my  room.  The  people  of  White  Rac 
coon's  village  manifested  a  laudable  disposition  to  improve  their 
circumstances.  They  wished  to  procure  a  suitable  white  man 
to  aid  them,  by  his  contrivance  and  labour,  in  agriculture,  and  I 
was  allowed  the  privilege  of  selecting  the  person  ;  at  first  1 
hoped  that  I  should  be  able  to  procure  some  pious  man,  who 
would  pray  with  them  as  well  as  work  ;  but,  situated  as  we  were, 
we  could  not  do  it. 

By  the  principal  chiefs  of  the  Miamies  it  had  for  many 
months  been  expected,  that  at  the  payment  to  them  of  an  an 
nuity,  at  which  time  the  Indians  generally  would  be  assembled 
at  Fort  Wayne,  I  would  address  them  in  council,  and  fully  ex 
plain  to  them  the  nature  of  our  mission.  It  was  believed  by  those 
Indians,  and  others  friendly  to  the  mission,  that  explanations 
•could  then  be  made,  and  our  doings  referred  to  in  a  manner  that 
would  be  of  much  advantage  in  correcting  erroneous  impres 
sions  which  had  been  fostered  in  the  minds  of  some,  through 
jealousy  of  innovation.  The  payment  of  the  annuity  took  place 
about  the  middle  of  November,  but  no  opportunity  suitable  for 
me  to  address  the  Indians  was  afforded.  We  were  grieved  with 
this  disappointment,  and  it  was  complained  of  by  others.  By 
closely  watching  the  movements  of  the  agent  in  his  business,  I 
found  an  opportunity  of  addressing  them  briefly,  but  at  too  late  a 
season  to  receive  from  them  an  answer  during  their  present  visit 
to  that  place  ;  for  they  had  no  sooner  received  their  money  from 
the  Government  than  scenes  of  drunkenness  ensued.  During 
these  disorders,  which  lasted  for  many  days  after  they  received 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


85 


their  annuity,  two  intoxicated  Indians  set  upon  two  white  men 
unarmed,  as  they  met  in  the  road,  a  mile  from  our  house;  one 
of  the  white  men  was  wounded  considerably  in  the  head  and 
body,  with  a  knife,  but  made  his  escape,  and  recovered. 

We  brought  into  our  house  an  influential  Indian,  whom  we 
had  found  very  sick  in  the  neighbourhood.  On  the  22d  of  No 
vember  he  died,  and  we  buried  him  as  decently  as  circum 
stances  would  admit.  His  disease  was  attributable  to  intempe 
rance.  A  few  mornings  previously,  a  poor  Indian  was  carried 
by  our  house,  who,  on  the  preceding  night,  had  died  of  intoxica 
tion.  On  the  22d,  about  a  mile  from  our  house,  an  Indian, 
somewhat  intoxicated,  dismounted  his  horse  and  ran  upon  a  young 
Indian  woman,  a  sister-in-law  of  his,  with  a  knife  in  his  hand  ;  she 
ran  around  first  one  of  the  company,  and  then  another,  to  avoid 
the  murderer,  but  in  vain — he  stabbed  her  with  his  knife.  She 
fled  from  the  company.  He  stood  and  looked  after  her,  and 
rinding  that  she  did  not  fall  to  the  ground,  pursued  her,  threw 
her  to  the  earth,  and  stabbed  her  to  the  heart,  in  presence  of 
ihe  company,  none  of  whom  ventured  to  make  an  effort  to  save 
the  damsel's  life.  On  the  same  night^another  poor  wretch  died 
of  intoxication,  within  half  a  mile  of  us. 

On  the  25th,  a  brother  of  him  who  lately  died  in  our  house 
deceased  in  his  camp.  We  brought  him  to  our  place  and  buried 
him.  His  wife,  who  was  sick,  and  likely  to  perish  with  hunger 
and  cold  in  her  camp,  was  also  brought  to  our  house,  and  taken 
care  of  until  she  recovered.  At  the  same  time  we  heard  of 
the  murder  of  two  other  Indians  in  a  bacchanalian  revel,  not  far 
from  us.  With  our  best  management  in  the  case,  we  could  not 
avoid  being  a  good  deal  annoyed  by  them. 

About  the  20th  of  .November,  myself  and  wife,  and  several 
of  our  family,  were  sick.  We  were  in  much  affliction  ;  our  cir 
cumstances  had  become  such  that  we  could  not  afford  a  com 
fortable  meal  for  a  sick  person.  Mrs.  McCoy  and  myself  needed 
little  else,  for  the  restoration  of  our  health,  than  suitable  food 
and  a  little  rest.  But  our  greatest  distress  was,  lest  for  want  of 
missionary  and  pecuniary  aid,  the  children  of  our  charge,  and 
every  thing  else,  would  exhibit  such  a  ragged  and  ordinary  ap 
pearance  that  the  institution  would  become  contemptible  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Indians. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  a  religious  young  woman,  who 
had  lived  with  us  some  months,  took  her  leave  of  us.  This  in 
creased  the  weight  of  Mrs.  McCoy's  labours.  We  had,  at  that 
time,  thirty  Indian  youths  in  our  family.  Our  temporal  wants 
«ow  became  so  pressing  that  they  could  be  no  longer  withstood. 


86 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


We  were  getting  deeply  in  debt,  and  it  had  become  time  to  pay, 
and  we  had  no  money.  We  had  to  borrow  from  one  to  pay 
another,  until,  among  those  around  us,  there  were  few  to  bor 
row  from,  to  whom  we  were  not  already  indebted.  Our  stock 
of  bread-stuff  was  becoming  very  low  ;  we  had  endeavoured  to 
save  it  by  eating  hommony  (boiled  corn)  until  we  had  grown  tired 
of  it.  Our  Indian  children  were  suffering  with  cold  by  day  and 
by  night ;  and  in  so  large  a  family  it  was  found  impracticable 
for  Mrs.  McCoy  to  give  attention  to  all  the  business  that  de 
volved  upon  her.  She  was  evidently  sinking  ;  both  her  health 
and  her  spirits  were  declining.  We  concluded,  therefore,  that 
I  must  attempt  a  journey  to  Ohio,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles,  to  procure  female  assistance,  and  some  supplies.  During 
iny  absence,  her  burden  would  be  increased.  My  own  health 
was  poor,  and  two  of  our  family  were  very  sick. 

I  left  home  on  the  28th  of  November — the  weather  cold  :  I 
had  no  resources  in  Ohio,  but  hoped  to  borrow  money  to  pay 
old  debts  nearer  home,  and  to  purchase  food  for  my  family. 
But  I  had  little  acquaintance  with  any  one  in  Ohio,  and  would  be 
obliged  to  apply  to  strangers  for  the  favour;  of  course,  success 
was  doubtful.  It  was  a  humiliating  circumstance,  and  could  it 
have  been  avoided,  I  would  not  have  asked  a  stranger  to  loan 
me  money.  But  there  was  no  alternative  ;  a  few  days  would 
terminate  our  mission  ;  the  school  must  be  dispersed,  and  all 
our  hopes  plunged  into  ruin.  I  was  in  much  distress  of  mind, 
and  pleaded  with  the  Lord  to  provide  for  our  wants,  that  we 
should  not  be  compelled  to  abandon  our  mission  in  disgrace,  and 
to  the  injury  of  the  cause  of  religion — 1  pleaded,  not  as  a  man 
would  plead  for  his  own  life  only,  but  for  the  lives  of  others 
also,  who  were  committed  to  his  care. 

I  called  on  Mr.  Phillips,  a  merchant,  of  Dayton,  and  told  him 
candidly  the  nature  of  our  wants,  who  very  kindly  advanced  me 
money  to  meet  our  most  pressing  necessities.  This  favour 
•afforded  seasonable  relief.  I  returned  with  better  spirits  than  I 
tiad  left  home,  having  purchased  three  milch  cows,  a  fresh  sup 
ply  of  flour  and  pork,  and  paper,  &c.,  for  the  school,  and  other 
'articles  needed,  and  having  hired  a  female  to  assist  in  domestic 
labours  ;  we  said,  "  It  is  safe  to  trust  in  the  Lord." 

Another  circumstance  occurred  on  this  tour,  which  afforded 
^still  greater  satisfaction  and  encouragement.  Mrs.  Shane,  a 
Delaware,  who  lived  on  the  road  to  Ohio,  gave  a  satisfactory 
account  of  a  work  of  grace  on  her  heart.  Captain  Shane,  her 
husband,  was  half  Ottawa  and  half  French,  and  could  speak 
English.  They  had  visited  us  at  Fort  Wayne  some  months 


IN7DIAN    MISSIONS. 


87 


before,  at  which  time  we  were  much  pleased  with  the  interest 
she  took  in  religious  exercises.  Her  husband  generally  inter 
preted  to  her.  On  my  return  from  Vincennes  in  the  fall,  I  had 
heard  that  she  had  been  very  sick,  and  that  she  had  expressed 
a  strong  desire  to  converse  with  some  of  the  missionaries.  Our 
circumstances  not  allowing  me  to  visit  them  at  that  time,  as 
they  lived  forty  miles  from  us,  I  wrote  them  a  letter  on  the  sub 
ject  of  religion,  which  was  read  to  them,  and  for  which  they 
returned  us  thanks.  On  my  tour  to  Ohio,  I  preached  twice  at 
their  house.  She  stated  that  her  grandmother  had  been  instructed 
in  the  Christian  religion  by  the  Moravian  missionaries,  and  had 
given  her  some  instruction  in  the  same  religion  when  she  was 
a  little  girl.  Many  years  afterwards,  and  while  a  widow,  she 
had  a  severe  attack  of  sickness,  and  became  deeply  concerned 
for  the  salvation  of  her  soul.  She  had  long  been  destitute  of  all 
religious  opportunities.  "  Then,"  said  she,  "  I  felt  like  I  was 
in  the  fire ;  I  prayed  to  God  to  save  rne,  and  all  at  once  my 
bad  feelings  left  me,  and  I  felt  very  happy.  I  then  prayed  that 
I  might  die.  Since  that  time  I  have  often  thought  of  Christ,  and 
prayed  to  him,  and  served  him  as  well  as  I  knew  how.  When 
I  was  at  your  house  last  summer,  and  heard  you  preach,  and 
pray,  and  talk  a  good  deal,  I  discovered  that  you  talked  like  I 
bad  felt.  You  told  rne  the  same  things  that  my  grandmother 
had  when  I  was  a  little  girl.  I  then  determined,  if  God  would 
help  me,  to  serve  him  better  than  I  had  ever  done  before.  A 
few  weeks  ago,  when  I  was  very  sick,  and  my  little  son  died,  I 
was  in  great  distress.  But,  for  a  few  days  past,  I  have  not  been 
in  so  much  trouble,  for  I  hope  that  when  I  die  I  will  go  to  the 
same  place  to  which  my  son  has  gone.  I  desire  to  go  to  that 
place,  but  I  will  not  pray  to  die,  as  I  once  did.  I  think  it  would 
not  be  right.  I  will  try  to  be  willing  to  live  and  willing  to  die.'* 
She  said  she  knew  that  the  Saviour  had  come  into  this  world, 
and  had  died  to  save  sinners,  and  she  hoped  that  he  would  save 
her.  On  her  expressing  a  desire  to  be  baptized,  I  told  her  that  I 
believed  that  Christ  was  baptized  by  the  immersion  of  the  whole 
body  in  the  water,  and  that  such  was  my  fashion  of  baptizing. 
At  this,  her  husband,  who  interpreted,  and  who  professed  to  be 
a  Catholic,  seemed  shocked,  and  replied  to  me,  that  such  had 
been  the  delicate  state  of  her  health,  that  for  a  long  time  she 
had  not  dared  to  put  even  her  hands  into  cold  water,  and  the 
immersion  of  the  whole  body  in  water  would,  doubtless,  cause  her 
death.  I  told  him  that  I  had  never  known  any  one  injured  by 
being  baptized,  and  again  desired  him  to  interpret  to  her  what  1 
had  said  respecting  the  mode  of  baptism.  She  answered,  "  I 


88  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

am  not  afraid  to  be  baptized.  I  believe  that  God  will  take  care  of 
me."  Before  I  left,  she  expressed  some  doubts  of  the  propriety  of 
being  baptized  soon.  Said  she,  "  I  am  still  an  imperfect  sinner, 
but  in  my  present  unbaptized  state  the  Lord  forgives  me  my 
faults  :  I  fear  that  after  baptism  I  shall  not  be  able  to  live  without 
doing  wrong  ;  and  will  the  Lord  then  forgive  me  as  he  does  now?" 
In  the  course  of  conversation,  she  related  the  following  anec 
dote  :  "  When  I  was  a  little  girl,  I  had  understood  my  grand 
mother  to  say,  that  if  a  person  would  fast  and  pray  four  days, 
the  Lord  would  forgive  their  sins  and  make  them  happy.  About 
two  years  ago  I  was  troubled  because  I  was  not  more  holy,  and 
I  determined  to  try  what  my  grandmother  had  said.  I  re 
mained  in  the  woods  two  days,  fasting  and  praying.  On  return 
ing  home,  I  was  sorry  to  find  there  a  woman  who  was  fond  of 
nonsensical  talk  ;  but  I  determined  to  continue  serious,  and  to 
fast  and  pray.  I  thought  I  did  pretty  well  until  near  the 
close  of  the  fourth  day,  when  the  time  to  receive  the  blessing, 
as  I  thought,  had  almost  arrived,  when  off  my  guard,  I  became 
foolish  and  wicked,  and  I  found  myself  no  better  than  1  was 
before  I  began  to  fast.  I  now  believe,  that  wherever  we  go,  or 
whatever  we  do,  the  devil  is  with  us,  to  keep  us  from  being  truly 
good." 

Before  she  had  an  opportunity  of  coming  to  Fort  Wayne,  to 
receive  baptism,  she  made  a  journey  into  Ohio,  and,  while  there, 
some  Christians  of  another  denomination  expressed  to  her  a 
desire  that  she  would  join  them.  She  answered,  she  would  pre 
fer  joining  the  church  at  Fort  Wayne,  because  that  was  intended 
for  the  Indians,  and  she  hoped  that  many  Indians  would  unite 
with  it.  She  was  baptized  on  the  24th  of  June,  some  time 
after  which,  a  religious  person  rebuked  her  for  wearing  trin 
kets  in  her  ears.  She  replied,  "  My  religion  is  not  in  my 
ears,  it  is  in  my  heart.  My  heart  is  no  more  affected  by  the 
jewels  in  my  ears,  than  it  is  by  any  other  part  of  my  dress. 
Nevertheless,  1  will  converse  with  the  missionaries,  and  if  they 
say  it  is  wrong  to  wear  them,  I  will  put  them  away."  We 
never  deemed  it  necessary  to  make  innovations  on  the  customs 
of  the  Indians  merely  for  the  sake  of  form  or  fashion.  Their 
ornaments  are  esteemed  a  part  of  their  dress.  She  was,  there 
fore,  told  that  the  Great  Spirit  had  not  directed  what  should  be 
the  fashion  of  our  dress.  Different  nations  and  different  ages 
had  their  various  modes  of  dressing,  both  in  regard  to  comfort 
and  comeliness.  Religion  consisted  of  a  right  disposition  of  the 
heart,  rightly  influencing  our  actions.  The  circumstances  con 
nected  with  the  conversion  of  this  Delaware  woman  have  been 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


89 


related  with  the  more  particularity,  because,  up  to  this  time 
(1839)  she  has  shined  as  a  Christian  light  among  her  benighted 
kindred. 

Our  secular  concerns  continued  to  bear  heavily  upon  us.  Our 
school  increased  so,  that  at  the  close  of  the  year  1820,  we  had 
thirty-two  Indian  scholars,  all  of  whom  were  members  of  our 
family.  About  this  time  it  became  necessary  for  us,  in  time 
of  a  snow,  to  go  forty  miles  through  a  wilderness  with  sleds,  one 
of  which  1  drove  myself,  to  procure  corn.  Some  was  afterwards 
transported  from  the  same  place,  by  water,  when  the  weather 
was  so  cold  that  ice  formed  on  the  poles  with  which  the  men 
propelled  the  canoes,  by  which  their  hands  were  frost-bitten. 

Mr.  Hill,  who  had  not  long  before  become  associated  with  us, 
despairing  of  success  in  the  school,  left  it.  He  was  an  affec 
tionate,  well-disposed  young  man,  but  not  calculated  to  manage 
thirty-two  wild  Indian  youths  just  from  the  woods.  We  hired 
another  young  man,  who  taught  a  few  days  only,  before  he  also 
became  discouraged  and  quit,  and  I  had  to  go  into  the  school 
myself.  On  the  7th  of  February,  1821,  Mr.  Martin,  who  had 
been  our  first  teacher,  arrived,  and  took  charge  of  the  school- 
He  was  not  associated  with  us  as  a  missionary,  but  merely  hired 
to  teach.  His  services  afforded  great  relief.. 


CHAPTER  HI. 

Pecuniary  assistance  obtained  from  Government.  Pressing 
necessities.  Assistance  obtained  in  Ohio.  Mr.  Hill  quits 
the  Mission.  Indian  murders.  Retrospect  of  a  year's  ope 
rations.  Tour  among  the  Putaiu  atomies.  Praying  Indi 
ans.  Voyage  down  the  W abash  river.  Baptisms. 

From  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  elsewhere,  we  received  some 
donations  in  clothing,  &tc.,  and  occasionally  small  sums  of  mo 
ney.  These  donations,  though  honourable  to  the  donors,  for 
which  we  were  ever  grateful,  were,  by  no  means,  adequate  to 
the  wants  of  the  family,  which  consisted  of  more  than  forty 
persons.  Amidst  the  anxieties  which  poverty,  under  our  pecu 
liar  circumstances,  was  calculated  to  produce,  a  worthy  Presby 
terian  brother,  a  Mr.  Hudson,  an  entire  stranger  to  us,  wrote 
from  Detroit,  that  if  we  were  in  great  need,  he  thought,  that 
by  a  visit  to  that  place,  I  might,  possibly,  obtain  assistance  from 
12 


90  HISTORY  OF  BAFTIST 

Government.  As  might  be  supposed,  we  were  not  long  in  de 
ciding  what  to  do.  In  company  of  the  mail  carrier,  I  set  out 
for  Detroit,  (two  hundred  miles)  on  the  18th  of  February. 
We  spent  the  first  night  in  a  deserted  Indian  camp,  where,  by 
the  light  of  our  fire,  I  made  the  following  note,  which  I  find  in 
my  journal :  "  My  mind  is  oppressed  with  anxiety.  We  are 
deeply  in  debt.  Our  wants  have  long  since,  and  often,  been 
made  known  to  the  board,  but  no  relief  has  arrived.  The  situ 
ation  of  our  affairs  never  appeared  more  precarious  than  at  the 
present.  Old  debts  are  becoming  due,  while  necessity  compels 
us  to  contract  new  ones,  and,  should  we  not  obtain  reHef  soon, 
our  mission  must  be  broken  up." 

On  reaching  Detroit,  my  business  was  with  Governour  Cass, 
who  listened  to  the  story  of  our  wants  with  the  sympathy  that 
does  honour  to  humanity,  and  having  control  of  some  public 
means,  he  was  so  kind  as  to  promise  me  aid.     He  furnished 
about  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars'  worth  of  clothing  and  food 
for  our  Indian  scholars ;  the  latter  was  in  the  form  of  rations 
for  the  Indians,  and  the  money  for  the  former  was  afterwards 
placed  in  my  hands,  so  that  we  might  lay  it  out  to  the  best  ad 
vantage,  which  we  did  in  purchasing  at  the  cheapest  rate  in 
Ohio.     He   also   promised  to  employ   a  young  man  whom   I 
recommended  to  him,  to  assist  the  Indians  of  White  Racoon's 
village  in  farming,  and  to  place  him  under  our  superintendence. 
Circumstances,  however,  became  such,  that  no  person  was  so 
employed.  I  also  obtained  permission  to  get  our  blacksmith  work 
performed  at  the  public  smithery  at  Fort  Wayne,  which  was  a 
great  accommodation  in  that  remote  place.    It  was  at  this  time, 
also,  that  I  commenced  arrangements  for  obtaining  help  from 
Government,  which  a  few  years  afterwards  became  the  source  of 
the  principal  part  of  the  support  of  the  mission.     A  treaty  of 
-much  importance  was  to  be  held  at  Chicago,  which  I  was  in 
vited  to  attend,  with  a  view  of  obtaining  a  more  eligible  site 
for  our  mission   than  Fort  Wayne,  and  with  a  view,  also,  of 
procuring  treaty  stipulations  which  might  be  beneficial  to  the 
cause  of  Indian  education.     On  my  way  homeward  I  found  a 
few  Baptists  in  a  small  settlement  at  the  rapids  of  Maumee,  to 
whom  I  preached,  and  made  promise  to  endeavour  to  get  a  minis 
ter  to  visit  them,  and  administer  the  ordinances,  my  business  not 
allowing  me  to  stop  and  serve  them.     This  resulted  in  a  visit 
to  them  of  the  Rev.  John  Mason,  of  Ohio. 

At  camp,  March  3d,  I  made  the  following  note  in  my  jour 
nal  :  "  I  have  travelled  all  day  along  a  small  trace  through  the 
wilderness,  have  seen  no  one  except  four  Indians.  My  own 


liNDlAN  MISSIONS. 

horse  having  fulled  before  I  left  the  settlement,  1  hired  another 
to  ride,  while  1  led  mine.  Much  wearied  with  the  day's  travel, 
and  afflicted  with  pain  in  my  face,  I  have  just  finished  my  sup 
per,  tied  up  my  horse  to  trees,  and  now  sit  alone  by  a  little  fire 
in  the  wilderness,  where  I  make  this  note."  A  ride  the  follow 
ing  day,  of  twenty  miles,  under  a  continual  fall  of  rain,  brought 
me  home.  The  amount  received  from  Government  at  this  time 
was  a  very  great  help  for  the  future,  but  it  afforded  no  present 
relief  in  liquidating  debts  which  we  had  already  contracted, 
the  payment  of  which  could  not  be  delayed. 

About  the  12th  of  March  I  wrote  again  to  the  board,  re 
questing  in  the  most  pressing  terms  pecuniary  assistance,  and 
stating  to  them  the  precarious  situation  of  the  mission  for  want 
of  it.  Our  school  had  increased  to  thirty-nine  Indian  scholars. 
It  may  be  inquired  why  we  continued  to  enlarge  our  operations, 
when  we  found  so  much  difficulty  in  supporting  a  smaller  num* 
ber  of  scholars.  We  had  always  feared  that  the  board  had 
been  too  indifferent  to  missions  among  the  Indians,  and  that  they 
had  not  cheerfully  entered  upon  the  support  of  the  one  in  which 
we  laboured,  but  had  been  drawn  into  its  support  by  means 
which  they  could  not  conveniently  control ;  and  if  our  opera 
tions  had  dragged  on  at  a  poor  rate,  we  believed  that  support 
would  have  been  entirely  withheld.  We  also  obtained  some 
assistance  from  societies  and  individuals  in  the  western  country, 
who  perhaps  would  have  done  nothing  if  our  business  had  not 
appeared  to  be  flourishing.  Moreover,  by  enlarging  our  busi 
ness  as  much  as  possible,  we  hoped  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  Christian  public  to  the  subject  of  Indian  missions,  and  we 
were  daily  hoping  that  more  missionaries  would  come  to  our 
assistance ;  and  that,  when  the  community  was  somewhat  awa 
kened  to  the  matter,  the  means  of  support  would  be  furnished. 
Further,  had  we  turned  away  any  who  had  applied  for  admis 
sion  into  our  school,  the  institution  would  at  once  have  sunk 
greatly  in  the  estimation  of  the  Indians.  Hitherto  we  had  so 
managed  as  to  keep  up  the  credit  of  the  institution  pretty  well 
among  the  natives,  though  they  did  sometimes  complain  that  their 
children  were  not  made  comfortable.  But,  most  of  all,  our  feel 
ings  would  not  have  allowed  us  to  turn  any  away,  while  a  gleam 
of  hope  remained  that  we  should  be  able  to  support  them.  WTe 
should  have  looked  after  them  as  after  those  whom  we  had  con 
signed  to  ruin,  the  extent  of  which  might  not  fully  be  known 
until  the  great  day  of  accounts;  and  how  could  we  have  borne 
the  thought  of  then  meeting  their  accusations,  that  we  had 
refused  them  the  means  of  religious  instruction. 


92  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

It  is  a  little  remarkable,  that  in  our  embarrassments,  during 
the  many  years  of  the  existence  of  the  mission  in  those  regions, 
Providence  so  favoured  us  that  we  never  seriously  disappointed 
any  of  those  with  whom  we  had  dealings,  notwithstanding  we 
often  had  to  create  a  debt  with  one  person  to  procure  the  means 
of  paying  another. 

On  the  15th  of  March  our  necessities  compelled  me  to  set  out 
upon  another  unpleasant  journey  over  very  bad  roads,  and 
through  snow  and  rain,  to  Ohio.  But  by  far  the  most  unplea 
sant  part  of  the  business  was  that  of  again  asking  Mr.  Phillips 
to  lend  me  money,  before  I  had  paid  up  my  old  debts  to  him. 
He  was  a  humane  gentleman,  and  sympathized  with  me,  but 
hesitated  to  risk  any  more  upon  the  patronage  of  the  board,  but 
desired  me  to  call  again.  The  following  note  in  my  journal 
-describes  part  of  the  exercises  of  my  mind  the  following  night : 
41  Spent  the  night  in  painful  anxiety ;  reviewed  my  Christian 
experience,  my  call  to  the  ministry,  my  exercises  of  mind  on 
the  subject  of  missions,  my  motives  and  my  hopes,  and  the 
•dealings  of  Providence  under  various  circumstances.  Has  God, 
thought  I,  who  has  preserved  my  life,  and  in  some  instances 
almost  miraculously,  who  has  made  me  sensible  of  my  un wor 
thiness,  and  of  my  dependance  upon  him,  who  has  comforted 
me  often  by  teaching  me  to  trust  in  him,  and  who  has  given  me 
•such  an  earnest  desire  to  spend  the  only  life  which  I  have  to 
live  in  this  world  in  a  way  well  pleasing  to  him,  and  who  has 
taught  me  to  pray  that  I  might  not  materially  err  from  the  path 
•of  duty — suffered  me  to  engage  in  the  mission  and  to  continue 
in  it  so  long,  and  yet  not  required  these  labours  at  my  hands  ? 
Have  all  my  warm  feelings  on  the  subject  been  delusive? 
Have  the  prospects  among  the  Indians  brightened  merely  to 
confirm  the  delusion,  to  lead  me  further  from  the  right  way, 
and  to  complete  my  downfall  ?"  Never  did  I  more  earnestly 
beg,  really  beg.  that  God  would  save  us  from  ruin,  if  he  de 
lighted  in  our  course ;  and  if  the  way  was  displeasing  to  him, 
to  correct  us  in  mercy,  and  set  us  right,  without  allowing  any 
material  injury  to  grow  out  of  our  errour. 

Agreeably  to  Mr.  Phillips's  request,  I  waited  on  him  again, 
and  told  him,  plainly,  that  while  I  hoped  the  board  would  pay  the 
•debt  that  I  wished  to  contract  by  borrowing,  they  were  under 
no  promise  to  me  to  do  so.  That  if  they  should  not  choose  to 
allow  my  accounts,  I  should  not  be  able  to  pay  him  soon  ;  though 
one  day,  but  not  in  time  to  suit  his  convenience,  1  should  pay 
him.  My  wife  and  1  had  consecrated  our  lives  and  labours  to 
.the  improvement  of  the  condition  of  the  Indians ;  and  all  that 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


93 


we  held  dear  on  earth  was,  in  some  degree,  connected  with  this 
enterprise.  If  he  could  risk  a  loan  of  money  under  such  doubt 
ful  circumstances,  he  might  be  the  means  of  saving  all ;  but,  if 
not,  I  could  perceive  no  way  to  prevent  all  from  being  plunged 
into  ruin  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks.  He  very  generously 
loaned  me  money  to  meet  our  immediate  wants.  I  never  bor 
rowed  upon  interest.  Matters  were  afterwards  so  arranged  that 
he  was  not  a  loser  by  his  kindness.  The  board  afterwards  did 
hesitate  to  pay  those  accounts ;  but  Mr.  Phillips  was  still 
my  friend,  and  made  a  communication  to  the  corresponding  sec 
retary  of  the  board  respecting  our  affairs,  honourable  to  the 
mission,  and  perhaps  to  our  future  benefit. 

Before  I  obtained  this  loan,  my  business  had  led  me  into  Ohio, 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  home.  I  had  been  charged 
for  my  fare  in  almost  every  place  at  which  I  had  called,  and 
in  every  instance  I  had  been  compelled  to  request  them  to  wait 
for  their  pay  until  I  should  return.  This  was  not  a  little  morti 
fying  ;  I  felt  it  to  be  the  more  so,  because  I  knew  not  that  1 
should  even  on  my  return  have  a  cent  to  pay  at  any  place.  In 
Lebanon  a  kind  friend  placed  in  my  hands  five  dollars  and  fifty 
cents,  as  a  donation  to  the  mission.  This  was  a  great  relief  in 
reflecting  upon  my  travelling  expenses,  which  I  had  left  unpaid 
as  I  came  into  the  settlements.  Little  did  this  kind  friend 
suspect  that  his  donation  was  so  much  needed. 

At  Dayton,  Ohio,  I  met  with  Rev.  George  Evans,  who  occa 
sionally  served  the  board  as  an  agent.  I  was  rejoiced  to  see 
him^  I  gave  him  a  history  of  our  affairs — of  the  difficulties  we 
encountered  from  various  sources,  and  particularly  of  our  great 
embarrassments  for  want  of  funds.  He  was  astonished,  and  ma 
nifested  the  sympathy  and  feeling  of  a  Christian  brother.  He 
promised  to  spend  three  weeks,  without  pay,  in  endeavouring  to 
collect  supplies  for  us,  and  to  write  to  the  board  in  the  mean 
time  respecting  our  distress.  Mr.  Evans  obtained  donations  to 
an  amount  sufficient  to  aid  us  materially.  He  afterwards  visited 
us  at  Fort  Wayne,  and  among  other  services  which  he  rendered 
us  was  one  of  a  delicate  nature,  which  none  could  have  managed 
better  than  he,  Mr.  Hill,  who  was  associated  with  us,  was 
pious  and  affectionate,  but  we  had  all  along  known  that  he 
would  not  probably  succeed  as  a  missionary  ;  and  being  there,  if 
he  were  of  no  use,  he  would  be  a  weight  upon  the  mission 
which  would  do  some  harm.  But  my  wife  and  I  had  not  ven 
tured  to  say  so  to  him,  for  fear  of  giving  pain  to  a  good  man, 
whose  feelings  we  respected.  Mr.  Evans  saw  him  in  Ohio,  and 


94  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

afterwards  at  our  house ;  and  perceiving  that  he  was  probably 
not  in  his  appropriate  sphere,  took  upon  himself  the  responsi 
bility  to  advise  him  to  retire  from  the  mission ;  which  he  did, 
without  delay.  As  we  had  lived  together  in  perfect  harmony, 
so  we  parted  in  friendship ;  and  at  parting  we  gave  to  each 
other  certificates,  in  writing,  that  nothing  the  least  unfriendly  had 
ever  existed  between  us.  This  left  my  wife  and  I  alone  again, 
with  a  family  of  forty  Indian  youths. 

My  journey  homeward  from  Ohio  was  extremely  unpleasant, 
on  account  of  rain  and  bad  roads.  I  found  my  wife  confined 
to  her  room  by  a  burn,  which,  from  almost  unavoidable  expo 
sure  in  her  business,  had  inflamed.  I  had  taken  with  me  to 
Ohio  one  of  our  Indian  pupils,  a  lad  not  quite  grown,  who 
understood  English  tolerably  well.  My  object  was  to  enlarge 
his  mind  by  a  journey  in  the  white  settlements,  and  I  treated 
him  as  a  travelling  companion.  He  noticed  with  much  interest 
many  things  which  occurred  on  the  journey.  Once  a  person 
related  to  me  in  his  presence  the  story  of  some  church  difficul 
ties,  in  which  a  minister  appeared  to  be  implicated.  He  asked 
me  afterwards  what  was  the  meaning  of  all  that  ?  Was  there  a 
preacher  in  that  country  who  was  not  a  good  man  ?  He  seemed 
never  before  to  have  suspected  that  a  preacher  could  be  a  bad 
man.  In  Dayton  he  happened  to  observe  a  collection  of  people 
in  a  house,  which  curiosity  prompted  him  to  approach,  when  he 
discovered  that  it  was  a  place  of  preaching.  It  was  a  meeting  of 
a  society  which  is  sometimes  noisy  in  time  of  worship.  On 
the  following  day  he  told  me  that  he  had  heard  somebody  preach 
on  the  preceding  night,  and  that  the  people  hallooed,  and 
jumped,  and  fell  down,  and  were  in  confusion,  like  a  company 
fighting.  At  one  time  we  were  awhile  in  the  company  of  a 
preacher  who  had  carelessly  fallen  into  a  singular  manner,  when 
engaged  in  conversation,  and  whose  gesticulations  were  more 
violent  and  less  natural  than  those  of  an  Indian.  As  soon  as  he 
had  left,  the  lad  asked  me  if  that  man  was  not  intoxicated. 

For  upwards  of  two  years  I  had  corresponded  with  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Peck,  one  of  the  Baptist  missionaries  in  the  vicinity  of  St. 
'Louis,  in  which  time  I  had  earnestly  endeavoured  to  induce  him 
to  consent  to  leave  those  parts,  where  his  ministry  was  limited 
to  the  whites,  and  to  join  us  in  labours  among  the  Indians.  The 
board  of  missions  about  this  time  expressed  to  Mr.  Peck  their 
wish  that  he  should  join  us  at  Fort  Wayne.  He,  however, 
preferred  to  remain  in  the  white  frontier  settlements,  which 
indeed  were  in  want  of  ministerial  labours;  consequently,  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


95 


connection  between  him  and  the  board  became  dissolved.  Mr. 
Peck  continues  his  indefatigable  labours  in  those  regions.  His 
efforts  in  preaching,  and  in  the  promotion  of  the  bible  cause, 
the  tract,  the  home  mission,  and  the  Sunday  school  depart 
ments,  have  been  patient  and  persevering ;  and  his  zeal  in  the 
cause  of  education  has  been  worthy  of  greater  success  than  has 
yet  attended  his  labours.  At  the  same  time  the  connection 
between  the  board  and  Rev.  Mr.  Welch,  the  associate  of  Mr. 
Peck,  was  also  dissolved.  Mr.  Welch  returned  to  New-Jersey, 
and  continues  to  be  a  zealous  promoter  of  Sunday  schools,  and 
the  circulation  of  bibles  and  tracts,  and  occasionally  fills  respon 
sible  appointments  in  the  service  of  societies  for  promoting 
these  important  objects.  Intelligence  that  Mr.  Peck  had 
declined  uniting  with  us  among  the  Indians  reached  us  the  last 
of  March.  This  was  to  us  a  great  disappointment. 

I  had  been  informed,  by  an  Indian  trader,  that  on  the  Illinois 
river,  some  one  hundred   and  twenty  miles  from  Fort  Wayne, 
there  was  a  company  of  religious  Putawatomies,  at  the  head  of 
whom  was  one  who  was  a  kind  of  preacher,  whose  name  was 
Menominee.     As   this  man   exhorted  his  followers  to  abstain 
from  ardent  spirits,  and  many  other  vices,  and  to  practise  many 
good  morals,  and  as  a   part  of  their  religious  service  consisted 
in   praying,  we  were  induced  to   hope  that   their  minds  were 
somewhat  prepared  to  receive  religious  instruction.    My  circum 
stances  were  such  that  I  could  not  visit  them  at  that  time ;  but 
I  wrote  their  leader  a  pretty  lengthy  letter,  encouraging  him  in 
what  was  right,  and  requesting  them  to  call  and  see  me,  &c. 
This  communication  was  sent  by  a  man  who  promised  to  read 
and  explain  it  to  the  party.  About  the  10th  of  April,  the  party 
came  to  Fort  Wayne,  to  see  me;  and,  during  several  days  that 
they  remained  in  that  neighbourhood,  we  had  much  interesting 
conversation  on  the  subject  of  religion.     The  leader  professed 
to  have  been   called,  some  few  years  previously,  by  the  Great 
Spirit,  to  preach  to  the  Indians  that  they  should  forsake  their 
evil  practices,  among  which  he  enumerated  the  vices  of  drunk 
enness,  theft,  murder,  and   many  other  wicked  practices.     He 
had   a  few   followers,   the    number  of   whom  was   increasing. 
They  generally  kept  close  together,  and  all  united  in  morning 
and  evening  worship,  at  which  times  they  heard  a  lecture  from 
their  leader,  and  all  kneeled  and  engaged  in  prayer,  all  vocally 
reciting  the  same  words  at  the  same  time.     While  they  taught 
good  morals,  they  appeared  wholly  ignorant  of  the  leading  doc 
trines  of  the  Bible,  which  teach  that  salvation   is  by  Christ. 
Menominee,  however,  appeared  to  be  more  meek,  and  more 


96  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

ready  to  receive  instruction,  than  could  have  been  expected 
from  a  wild  man  who  had  arrogated  claims  to  be  a  leader,  not 
only  in  temporal  but  also  in  spiritual  things.  We  felt  much 
interest  in  his  reformation,  and  trusted  that  it  might  prove  to  be 
the  beginning  of  one  among  his  people  generally.  At  his  par 
ticular  request  I  gave  him  a  writing,  in  which  I  stated  that  he 
had  been  several  days  with  me,  that  I  had  heard  him  preach 
and  pray,  and  had  conversed  much  with  him  ;  that  I  hoped  his 
instructions  would  do  his  people  good,  and  therefore  requested 
all  to  treat  him  with  kindness.  "  Now,"  said  he,  "  1  will  go 
home  and  preach  to  the  people  all  my  life.  I  will  tell  them 
that  my  father  says  I  tell  the  truth." 

During  all  the  month  of  April,  and  until  some  time  in  May, 
I  was  in  ill  health,  much  of  my  time  confined  to  my  room,  and 
frequently  had  to  preach  sitting  in  a  chair,  and  sometimes  had 
to  write  as  I  lay  in  my  bed.  At  the  same  time  our  business 
increased  upon  our  hands.  In  addition  to  feeding,  clothing, 
lodging,  and  instructing  more  than  forty  Indian  youths,  pressing 
calls  were  made  for  us  to  afford  some  assistance  to  the  poor 
natives  at  their  villages.  From  the  town  in  which,  as  we  were 
on  our  way  to  Fort  Wayne,  we  had  seen  a  mother  digging  roots 
in  a  swamp,  with  a  child  tied  on  her  back,  and  another  by  her 
side,  two  women  came  to  us  to  get  a  few  seeds,  to  put  in  the 
ground,  that  they  might  fare  better.  They  told  us,  in  an  affecting 
manner,  that  they  lived  exceedingly  poor  at  their  village.  The 
women  were  compelled  to  undergo  great  hardship.  They 
desired  to  become  more  comfortable,  but  they  knew  not  how  to 
cultivate  the  ground  to  advantage :  they  hoped  that  their 
father  (as  they  called  me)  would  pity  them,  and  send  a  man  to 
assist  them  in  farming  ;  they  would  pay  him  for  his  services 
as  amply  as  their  means  would  allow,  and  he  should  eat  the 
very  best  food  that  their  village  could  furnish.  We  once 
thought  that  we  should  be  able  to  procure  a  religious  young 
man  to  aid  that  village  in  cultivating  the  ground,  and  that  we 
should  do  it  without  drawing  upon  the  charities  of  any  ;  but  our 
business  at  the  mission  house  and  my  ill  health  disappointed 
our  hopes.  We  could  do  no  more  than  to  loan  them  a  plough, 
and  some  other  farming  utensils. 

On  the  7th  of  May  we  were  informed  that  a  Miamie  young 
man  was  lying  half  a  mile  from  us,  mortally  wounded  with  a 
knife,  which  shocking  deed  had  been  perpetrated  by  an  asso 
ciate  of  his.  The  murderer  had  fled,  in  order  to  escape  from 
vengeance.  On  the  same  day  a  Miamie  man  and  his  wife  were 
riding  together,  not  more  than  the  fourth  of  a  mile  from  our 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


97 


house,  both  intoxicated.  She,  falling  from  her  horse,  was  or 
dered  to  mount  again,  which,  either  for  want  of  ability  or 
inclination,  she  did  not  immediately  do ;  when  the  wretch 
instantly  drew  his  tomahawk,  and  beat  out  her  brains.  He 
then  opened  a  bundle  of  goods,  and  told  the  Indian  women 
present  to  dress  the  corpse  as  finely  as  they  pleased.  The 
corpse  was  accordingly  decorated  with  all  the  finery,  trinkets^ 
and  painting,  which  the  foolishness  of  the  friends  present  dic 
tated,  and  their  means  allowed.  While  they  were  performing 
this  ceremony  of  dressing,  an  Indian  rode  up  and  inquired, 
"  Who  has  done  this  ?"  "  I  did  it,"  replied  the  murderer,  with 
a  boasting  air.  "  Tell  the  relations  of  this  woman  that  I  shall 
remain  here  ten  days ;  if  they  wish  to  avenge  her  death,  they 
will  know  where  to  find  me."  Three  days  after  this  another 
Miarnie  stabbed  his  wife  mortally  with  a  knife,  within  a  mile  of 
our  house.  On  the  17th.  a  young  Miamie  stabbed  and  killed  an 
old  woman,  who  had  professed  to  be  a  physician,  and  consequently 
was  esteemed  a  witch.  I  was  informed,  that  some  time  previ 
ously  a  child  of  the  murderer  had  sickened,  and  the  old  woman 
had  been  applied  to  as  physician;  unfortunately  for  her,  the 
child  died,  and  she  was  accused  of  killing  it,  either  by  poison 
or  some  other  means,  and  she  was  now  murdered,  by  way  of 
revenge.  Attempts  to  take  her  life  had  frequently  been  made  by 
others,  because  she  was  suspected  of  bewitching  iheir  horses,  and 
of  performing  other  dark  deeds,  by  familiar  art.  She  had  often 
been  compelled  to  flee  for  her  life,  and  conceal  herself  from  the 
pursuer.  Their  chief  informed  me  of  the  death  of  the  old 
woman,  and  desired  me  to  have  her  buried.  I  took  a  young 
man  and  rode  to  their  camp,  where  we  found  only  two  men  and 
a  woman,  all  of  whom  were  intoxicated.  The  corpse  lay 
upon  the  ground,  wrapped  in  a  piece  of  calico  and  a  blanket. 
While  the  grave  was  preparing  the  murderer  returned,  who 
affected  to  be  wholly  callous  on  the  occasion,  but  I  thought  his 
countenance  indicated  a  sense  of  guilt,  and  some  remorse.  Her 
grave  was  beside  that  of  a  poor  woman  who  had  been  murdered 
the  winter  before.  Several  Indians  came  to  us  before  we  left 
the  place,  most  of  whom  were  intoxicated.  Before  the  end  of 
this  month  we  heard  of  the  murder  of  a  Putawatomie,  who  was 
returning  from  our  place  to  St.  Joseph  river,  by  the  hands  of 
one  of  his  comrades. 

Among  the  Indians  are  various  games  of  chance,  at  which 
they  play,  and  gamble  in  such  articles  as  they  possess,  similar 
to  gambling  among  white  men.     An  Indian  had  been  stabbed 
13 


98 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


with  a  knife,  who  lingered,  and  of  whose  recovery  there  was 
doubt.  On  the  12th  of  May  a  party  resolved  to  decide  the 
question  whether  the  man  would  live  or  die,  by  a  game  at  moc 
casin.  In  this  game  the  parties  seat  themselves  upon  the  earth, 
opposite  to  each  other,  while  one  holds  a  moccasin  on  the 
ground  with  one  hand,  and  holds  in  the  other  a  small  ball ;  the 
ball  he  affects  to  conceal  in  the  moccasin,  and  does  either  insert 
it  or  not,  as  he  shall  choose,  and  then  leaves  the  opposite  party 
to  guess  where  the  ball  is.  In  order  to  deceive  his  antagonist, 
he  incessantly  utters  a  kind  of  sing-song,  which  is  repeated 
about  thrice  in  a  minute,  and  moving  his  hands  in  unison  with 
the  notes,  brings  one  of  them,  at  every  repetition,  to  the  mouth 
of  the  moccasin,  as  though  he  had  at  that  moment  inserted  the 
ball.  One  party  played  for  the  wounded  man's  recovery,  and 
the  other  for  his  death.  Two  games  were  played,  in  both 
which  the  side  for  recovery  was  triumphant,  and  so  they  con 
cluded  that  the  man  would  not  die  of  his  wounds. 

About  the  middle  of  May,  Rev.  John  Mason,  of  Ohio,  an 
elderly  and  worthy  servant  of  God,  visited  our  station.  We 
were  so  much  refreshed  by  his  company,  and  were  so  greatly  in 
want  of  missionaries,  that,  notwithstanding  his  age,  we  invited 
him  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  us.  Some  of  his  family,  we  believed, 
would  afford  much  relief  to  Mrs.  McCoy,  who  greatly  needed 
it.  He  encouraged  us  to  hope  that  he  would  join  us,  but  this 
also  ended  in  disappointment. 

In  the  latter  part  of  May,  a  gentleman  from  the  southeastern 
shore  of  Lake  Erie,  who  had  opened  a  correspondence  with  us 
some  time  before,  arrived  at  our  house,  with  the  design  of  be 
coming  a  missionary.  I  concluded  that  it  would  be  better  for 
us  not  to  strike  hands  hastily ;  and  so  we  gave  him  some  busi 
ness  for  about  three  months,  for  which  we  paid  him  wages.  He 
was  a  pious  man,  of  an  amiable  disposition ;  but,  after  the  trial 
made,  we  feared  that  he  did  not  possess  a  tact  for  usefulness 
among  the  knotty  sticks  which  we  had  to  manage,  and  our  con 
nection  wras  not  prolonged. 

The  following  is  from  my  journal : 

"May  29,  1821.  One  year  ago,  this  day,  we  opened  our 
school  at  this  place;  we  had  then  eight  Indian  scholars;  we 
now  have  forty-two.  These  consist  of  Aliamies,  Putawatomies3 
Shawanoes,  and  Indians  from  New- York.  These  undisciplined 
youths  have  not  been  managed  without  difficulty;  I  have  hired 
five  different  persons,  who  have,  at  different  times,  tried  to  man 
age  the  school ;  nevertheless,  I  have  frequently  been  obliged  to 
take  the  sole  management  of  it  myself.  These  changes  in  teachers 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


99 


have  been  to  our  disadvantage ;  yet  the  school  flourishes,  and 
the  scholars  make  pleasing  progress  in  their  studies.  Certainly 
the  Lord  takes  care  of  us. 

"Mrs.  McCoy,  in  addition  to  domestic  labours,  in  common 
teaches  the  larger  girls  the  use  of  the  needle  and  the  spinning 
wheel.  She  is  more  confined  to  the  house  than  I  am,  and  in  the 
daily  routine  of  her  labours  there  is  more  of  sameness  than  in 
mine;  and,  on  many  accounts,  her  business  is  calculated  more 
deeply  to  depress  the  spirits  and  to  unnerve  the  constitution  than 
mine.  The  apprehension  that  both  her  strength  and  spirits  are 
sinking  has  become  another  source  of  serious  disquietude  to  me. 
[  endeavour  to  conceal  from  her  as  much  of  that  which  is  dis 
couraging  in  our  affairs  as  possible,  and  to  place  the  better  side 
of  our  prospects  towards  her  ;  I  am  oppressed  with  many  an 
anxious  thought  which  I  dare  not  communicate  to  her. 

"I  felt  wretched  last  night,  when  a  man  who  had  laboured  for 
us.  and  who  had  patiently  waited  for  his  pay  until  he  was  about 
to  leave  the  place,  called  for  his  money,  and  I  had  not  one  cent 
for  him.  I  looked  around  to  borrow  it,  but  failed,  and  I  was  com 
pelled  to  use  money  intrusted  to  my  care  by  a  friend,  hoping 
that  before  he  should  call  for  it,  I  would  have  obtained  it  from 
some  other  source." 

^s*^r^^  Under  these  trying  circumstances  Providence  so  ordered  it, 
that  small  remittances  of  money  by  mail,  from  societies  and  indi- 

rviduals  in  the  western  country,  frequently  came  to  our  relief. 
The  donors  of  these  and  of  various  articles  of  food  and  clothing 
designed  to  do  good  when  they  made  their  donations,  but  they 
could  ^riot  set  a  just  estimate  upon  their  benefactions,  without 
being  acquainted  with  the  wants  of  the  institution.  Could  they 
Have  seen  to  what  expedients  we  were  reduced,  many  a  time,  to 
get  a  better  garment  for  an  Indian  child,  when  one  of  its  relations 
happened  to  be  near;  could  they  have  seen  the  homely  furniture 
of  our  table,  or  felt  the  want  of  a  palatable  meal  in  sickness,  or 
^d  the  satisfaction  of  paying  a  debt  intimately  connected 

h  the  reputation  of  the  mission,  when,  a  few  hours  previously, 
they  had  not  a  cent  in  their  possession — then  they  could  have 
formed  a  more  correct  opinion  of  the  value  of  their  donations. 

From  the  neighbourhood  of  Menominee,  the  Indian  preacher, 
some  Indians  came  to  our  place,  who  informed  me  that  a  propo 
sition  I  had  made  to  visit  them  had  excited  much  interest. 
They  thought  I  delayed,  and  had  become  impatient.  Some 
said  I  had  lied,  and  Menominee  himself  had  become  so  uneasy, 
that  he  frequently  visited  a  trading  house,  some  fifteen  miles  off, 
to  inquire  for  me.  On  hearing  this,  we  concluded  that  Mrs. 


100  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

McCoy  must  again  take  the  sole  charge  of  the  institution,  while 
I  would  visit  those  Indians.  Her  difficulties,  we  knew,  must 
be  somewhat  increased  by  the  circumstance  of  being  obliged  to 
take  into  the  school  a  new  teacher.  Mr.  Martin's  engagements 
with  «s  terminated  on  the  7th  of  May,  when  the  school  was 
committed  to  one  unacquainted  with  Indian  habits  and  preju 
dices,  as  well  as  uninformed  with  regard  to  all  our  business. 

Having  long  been  in  poor  health,  and  having  barely  recovered 
so  as  to  be  able  to  travel,  we  were  not  a  little  afraid  that  I  should 
be  unable  to  endure  the  fatigue  and  exposure  of  the  journey. 
For  an  interpreter  and  travelling  companion,  I  took  one  of  our 
pupils,  named  Abraham  Burnett.  To  meet  my  engagements 
with  Menominee  was  only  a  part  of  my  business;  I  designed  to 
look  out  a  site  for  the  permanent  location  of  our  mission,  as  we 
had  from  the  first  considered  our  residence  at  Fort  Wayne  a 
mere  temporary  measure,  dictated  by  the  necessity  of  the  occa 
sion.  I  had  been  informed  that  the  principal  Putawatomie 
chiefs  had  held  several  councils  upon  the  subject  of  our  mission, 
and  had  resolved  to  invite  us  to  locate  among  them.  We 
deemed  a  tour  among  them  necessary,  in  order  to  foster  these 
kind  feelings  of  theirs.  An  important  treaty  with  the  Puta- 
watomies,  Ottawas,  and  Miamies,  was  approaching,  which 
would  be  the  proper  time  to  secure  a  site  for  the  mission  upon 
favourable  conditions,  and  the  minds  of  the  Indians  must  pre 
viously  be  prepared  to  come  into  the  measure. 

We  had  long  been  so  much  distressed  for  want  of  means  to 
support  the  mission,  that  while  we  should  thankfully  accept  of 
all  the  assistance  which  the  board  of  missions  would  give  us, 
we  were  taught  not  to  rely  on  it  for  support.  But  we  resolved 
to  seek  support,  as  far  as  practicable,  from  Government,  and 
From  the  Christian  public,  by  our  correspondence,  and  through 
such  agents  as  we  should  be  able  to  employ  to  take  collections 
from  the  benevolent. 

Ever  after  my  journey  to  Detroit,  in  the  months  of  February 
•and  March,  1821, 1  had  been  endeavouring  to  prepare  the  way, 
lo  get  into  the  anticipated  treaty  some  stipulations  which  should 
favour  educational  purposes  among  the  Indians.  In  all  this  I  was 
careful  to  ascertain  that  I  acted  in  accordance  with  the  views  of 
those  who  would  be  the  principal  agents  of  the  United  States 
in  the  negotiations.  It  was  believed  that  a  tour  among  the 
Putawatomies  at  this  time  would  promote  these  ends.  It  may 
be  well  here  to  remark,  in  regard  to  the  wants  of  the  mission, 
both  before  and  after  the  period  respecting  which  I  am  now 
writing,  that  a  missionary,  or  agent,  who  could  have  devoted 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  10  1 

his  time  wholly  to  procuring  supplies  from  a  benevolent  public, 
and  from  Government,  could  have  obtained  support  for  a  mis 
sion,  upon  even  a  larger  scale  than  that  of  ours,  without  draw 
ing  a  cent  from  the  funds  of  the  board.  The  truth  of  this 
assertion  will  appear  in  the  sequel  of  our  story,  when  we  relate 
that  notwithstanding  all  our  cares,  which  were  calculated  to 
confine  us  at  our  post,  we  did  so  manage  as  to  get  help  from 
Government,  which,  with  the  labour  of  our  own  hands,  sup 
ported  the  mission  the  last  four  years  of  its  existence  at  Carey, 
without  drawing  a  dollar  from  the  treasury  of  the  board  which 
they  could  have  applied  to  any  other  purpose.  But  at  the 
time  of  which  I  am  writing,  we  had  business  enough  at  the  esta 
blishment  to  employ  at  least  three  male  and  three  female  mis 
sionaries,  while  the  management  of  every  thing  devolved  on  my 
wife  and  me.  Thus  situated,  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  go 
abroad  to  solicit  donations. 

In  company  of  three  Indians,  I  set  out  upon  my  tour  among 
the  Indians  the  7th  of  June  ;  swam  our  horses  across  St.  Mary's 
river,  and  about  ten  o'clock  met  a  company  of  Putawatomies. 
We  had  passed  them  about  a  mile,  when  one  of  them  came 
riding  back  to  us  in  haste,  to  tell  some  news  which  had  escaped 
recollection  at  meeting.  The  intelligence  was,  that  a  brother 
of  the  newsmonger  had  latterly  been  stabbed  by  an  Indian 
woman,  and  was  badly  wounded,  but  not  dead.  We  encamped 
near  a  large  pond,  which  supplied  us  with  water.  It  rained  upon 
us  severely  through  the  night,  and  we  were  under  an  ordinary 
lent  cloth,  which  was  a  poor  defence  against  a  shower.  The 
loons,  by  their  mournful  screaming,  and  the  large  frogs,  whose 
hoarse  notes  formed  a  kind  of  base  to  a  thousand  other  song 
sters  which  inhabited  the  pond  and  the  woods,  gave  us  music 
in  all  the  wakeful  hours  of  the  night. 

On  the  following  morning  it  commenced  raining  upon  us  just 
as  we  left  camp,  and  with  little  intermission  continued  all  day. 
While  we  stopped  to  eat  a  bite  at  noon,  a  tremendous  shower 
poured  down.  I  sat  over  my  saddlebags,  until  Abraham, 
seeing  that  1  was  taking  wet  fast,  ran  to  an  old  Indian  camp, 
and  brought  thence  a  piece  of  bark,  which  I  held  over  me 
as  a  partial  shelter;  but  it  was  impossible  to  keep  dry.  We 
encamped  a  little  before  night,  for  the  purpose  of  drying  our 
clothes.  We  had  another  night  of  rain,  but  I  was  so  much 
fatigued  with  the  journey  that  neither  the  rain,  nor  the  thou 
sands  of  moschetoes  which  swarmed  about  us,  prevented  me 
from  sleep.  Some  time  in  the  morning  my  Indian  friends 


102  BISTORT  OF  BAPTIST 

awoke  me,  and  informed  me  that  they  were  ready  to  eat  and 
start.  The  following  night  we  arrived  at  the  house  of  a  trader, 
and  the  next  day  Abraham  went  to  the  neighbouring  villages  to 
let  the  principal  chiefs  know  that  I  would  be  glad  to  meet  them 
in  council  on  the  following  day. 

June  10th,  I  met  Topenebe,  Chebass,  and  Cheshaugen,  and 
others,  at  one  of  their  villages.  As  is  usual  on  those  occasions, 
business  was  opened  by  throwing  my  tobacco  in  a  heap  on  the 
ground,  in  the  midst  of  the  company,  followed  by  a  round  of 
smoking.  Next  came  our  talk.  I  spoke  very  cautiously  to 
them  upon  all  subjects  except  the  advantages  of  education,  and 
the  character  of  our  institution  as  it  respected  education.  Early 
on  the  llth,  having  procured  an  Indian  to  pilot  us,  we  set  off 
for  Menominee's  village.  As  we  approached  it,  Menominee 
and  others  met  us  with  all  the  signs  of  joy  and  gladness  which 
could  have  been  expressed  by  these  poor  creatures.  Menomi 
nee  immediately  cried  aloud  to  his  people,  all  of  whom  lived 
in  four  little  bark  huts,  informing  them  that  their  father  had 
arrived.  1  was  no  sooner  seated,  by  their  invitation,  than  men, 
women,  and  children,  came  around  and  gave  me  their  hand ; 
even  infants  were  brought,  that  I  might  take  them  by  the  hand. 

A  messenger  was  immediately  despatched  to  a  neighbouring 
village  to  announce  my  arrival ;  in  his  absence  Menominee  in 
quired  if  I  were  coming  to  reside  among  them.  Receiving 
evasive  answers,  he  expressed  great  concern ;  he  said  the  prin 
cipal  chief  of  their  party,  and  all  the  people  of  their  villages, 
except  a  few,  desired  me  to  come.  He  showed  me  a  place 
which  he  had  selected  for  me  to  build  a  house  upon.  Their 
huts  being  exceedingly  hot  and  unpleasant,  I  proposed  taking  a 
seat  out  of  doors.  The  yard  was  immediately  swept,  and  mats 
spread  for  me  either  to  sit  or  lie  upon.  We  were  presently  re 
galed  with  a  bowl  of  boiled  turtle's  eggs ;  next  came  a  kettle  of 
sweetened  water  for  us  to  drink.  1  was  then  shown  a  large 
turtle  which  had  been  taken  in  a  pond,  and  asked  if  I  was  fond 
of  it.  Fearing  that  with  their  cooking  I  should  not  be  able  to 
eat  it,  I  replied  that  I  was  very  fond  of  corn  and  beans.  This  1 
knew  was  already  over  the  fire;  it  was  placed  before  us  in  one 
large  wooden  bowl,  and  we  ate  it  with  wooden  ladles.  Meno 
minee  had  two  wives,  each  of  whom  presented  me  with  a  bark 
box  of  sugar,  containing  about  thirty  pounds  each. 

In  a  short  time  the  principal  chief,  Pcheeko,  and  every  man, 
and  almost  every  woman  and  child  in  his  village,  were  at  Me 
nominee's,  and  all  came  and  shook  hands.  I  was  rather  aston- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


103 


ished  to  discover  that  the  parents  required  all  the  children,  who 
were  capable  of  understanding,  to  give  their  right  hand.  I  had 
strange  feelings:  all  were  gazing  on  me  with  a  kind  of  reveren 
tial  respect  that  I  was  unaccustomed  to.  On  the  arrival  of 
Pcheeko  we  had  resumed  our  station  in  the  house,  where  1 
handed  out  my  tobacco ;  all  smoked  until  the  fumes  and  the 
heat  became  almost  insupportable,  but  I  mustered  courage  to 
remain,  as  I  supposed  it  would  be  impolite  to  leave  the  room 
at  that  time.  Menominee  said  that  as  I  had  promised  them 
that  I  would  visit  them  when  the  grass  grew  to  a  certain  height, 
he  had  gone  out  every  day  to  see  how  high  it  was;  he  had  at 
length  become  uneasy,  and  intended  soon  to  have  started  to 
Fort  Wayne,  to  learn  the  cause  of  my  delay.  In  the  mean 
time,  some  had  reproached  him  for  being  so  foolish  as  to  ima 
gine  that  I  would  visit  him ;  they  had  also  said  his  preaching 
was  not  true,  for  none  of  them  would  go  to  God  as  he  had  said  ; 
that  I  preached  differently  from  him,  and  that  I  had  told  the 
people  of  other  villages  that  they  might  drink  whiskey,  &c. 
Still  he  had  encouraged  his  people  to  hope  that  I  would  be 
faithful  to  my  promise — "  and  now  you  see,  my  children,"  said 
he,  "  that  he  has  come." 

They  reiterated  their  entreaties  that  I  would  come  and  live 
among  them.  I  told  them  the  distance  from  Fort  Wayne  was 
great.  They  replied,  "  It  is  not  very  great — you  came  a 
crooked  road.  Almost  all  of  our  people  have  quit  drinking 
whiskey,  and  have  left  off  many  other  bad  practices.  Whiskey 
will  be  brought  into  our  country,  and,  unless  you  come  and  re 
side  among  us,  we  fear  that  many  will  return  to  drink  and  to 
other  evil  practices ;  but  if  you  will  come  and  live  with  us  we 
will  drink  no  more  whiskey  ;  we  will  send  our  children  to  school, 
and  you  can  preach  to  us ;  we  all  desire  to  hear  you  preach. 
You  can  bring  with  you  a  good  interpreter,  so  that  you  can  tell 
us  all  your  mind  about  religion.  We  desire  to  understand  these 
things." 

They  invited  rne  to  remain  with  them  the  next  day,  and 
when  I  consented  they  entreated  me  to  stay  two  days.  If  I 
would,  they  said  they  would  send  some  of  their  young  men  and 
kill  for  me  some  fresh  meat.  They  insisted  on  knowing  when 
I  would  visit  them  again;  on  being  told  that  it  was  uncertain r 
they  said,  "  If  you  will  tell  us  at  what  time  you  will  visit  us 
again,  we  will  have  something  good  for  you  to  eat — now  we 
have  nothing  good."  Menominee  delivered  to  his  people  a  lec 
ture.  He  had  no  ceremony,  but  commenced  without  even 
rising  from  his  seat,  and  spoke  with  much  energy.  A  little 


104  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

before  dark  the  company  dispersed,  and  all  shook  my  hand 
at  parting  as  they  had  done  at  meeting.  When  we  were 
alone,  Menominee  informed  me  that  he  had  two  wives.  Some 
had  said  to  him  that  if  I  had  knowledge  of  this  circumstance,  I 
"would  push  him  away  from  me."  "I  tell  you,"  said  he, 
"  that  you  may  know  it;  it  is  a  common  thing  among  our  peo 
ple  ;  and  often  the  younger  sister  of  a  wife  claims  it  as  a  privi 
lege  to  become  a  second  wife,  that  she,  too,  may  have  some 
one  to  provide  meat  for  her.  This  is  the  case  in  regard  to 
my  two  wives,  who  are  sisters.  I  did  not  know  that  it  was 
wrong  to  take  a  second  wife ;  but  if  you  say  it  is  wrong,  I  will 
put  one  of  them  away."  This,  I  thought,  appeared  like  cut 
ting  off  a  hand,  or  pulling  out  an  eye,  because  it  offended. 

I  desired  to  have  a  better  interpreter  than  Abraham,  when  I 
should  explain  to  him  the  sacredness  of  the  marriage  contract ; 
especially  as  the  delicacy  of  the  present  case  was  increased  by 
the  circumstance  that  both  of  his  wives  were  mothers,  and, 
agreeably  to  Indian  customs,  claimed  his  protection  for  both 
themselves  and  their  children.  I  replied,  "  This  is  a  subject  of 
great  importance,  and  I  must  think  before  I  speak.  You  propose 
accompanying  me  as  far  as  the  lake ;  if  you  do,  I  will  tell  you 
my  mind  before  we  finally  separate." 

I  sung  and  prayed  in  their  wigwams,  evening  and  morning. 
The  women  also  kneeled  and  prayed,  in  their  own  language, 
evening  and  morning.  They  all  vocally  recited  the  same  prayer 
at  the  same  time,  during  which  Menominee  said  nothing.  I  also 
heard  them  at  family  prayers  in  an  adjoining  house.  These 
things  were  so  affecting  that  it  was  with  difficulty  sometimes  that 
I  could  repress  my  tears,  even  in  their  presence.  When  all  had 
retired  to  sleep,1.!  gave  vent  to  my  passion,  and  enjoyed  a  precious 
season  of  prayer  and  praise.  Menominee  at  one  time  showed 
me  a  square  stick,  on  which  he  had  made  a  mark  for  every  ser 
mon  he  had  preached.  I  then  showed  him  in  my  journal  the 
list  of  texts  from  which  1  had  preached  at  different  times,  show 
ing  him  at  the  same  time  that  what  I  preached  had  been  taken 
from  such  and  such  places  in  our  good  book.  He  immediately 
set  about  counting  both  his  marks  and  mine,  in  order  to  ascer 
tain  which  of  us  had  preached  most  frequently  in  the  course  of  a 
year.  Finding  a  considerable  difference  in  my  favour,  he  plead 
ed  his  inferiority.  He  must  now  see  all  my  books  and  papers — 
must  hear  me  read,  notwithstanding  he  could  not  understand  a 
word.  He  must  also  examine  my  watch.  I  attempted  to  write 
in  my  journal,  but  he  kept  so  close  to  me,  and  was  so  inquisitive, 
that  I  was  obliged  to  defer  it.  I  retired  into  the  brush  to  make 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


105 


some  hasty  notes  with  my  pencil,  but  he  followed,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  was  seen  gazing  after  me. 

In  compliance  with  an  invitation  of  Pcheeko,  the  principal 
chief  of  this  band,  we  paid  him  a  visit  on  the  12th,  accompa 
nied  by  Menominee  and  several  others.  Pcheeko,  to  show  his 
loyalty  to  our  Government,  or  rather  as  an  expression  of  respect 
for  me,  had  hoisted  over  his  hut  the  American  flag.  A  large 
kettle  of  hommony  and  venison  was  ready  for  us  on  our  arrival. 
To  my  mess,  besides  some  choice  pieces,  they  added  sugar. 
With  the  help  of  my  knife,  a  wooden  ladle,  and  a  good  appe 
tite,  I  despatched  a  reasonable  meal,  endeavouring  at  the  same 
time  to  indulge  as  few  thoughts  as  possible  about  the  cleanli 
ness  or  the  uncleanliness  of  the  cooks. 

In  private,  they  intimated  to  Abraham  that  they  suspected 
me  to  be  partial  to  Menominee.  The  lad  replied,  that  rny  visit 
was  to  them  all.  They  said  that  they  were  glad  of  that,  and 
that  they  would  be  glad  to  attend  my  preaching,  for  they  "  were 
afraid  Menominee  did  not  know  how  to  preach  good."  They 
mentioned  some  doctrines  which  they  said  Menominee  had  ad 
vanced,  and  inquired  of  Abraham  if  1  had  preached  the  same. 
With  all  that  was  pleasing  with  these  poor  creatures,  we  disco 
vered  that  they  were  too  much  under  the  influence  of  Indian 
feeling,  in  their  hopes  of  deriving  some  temporal  benefit  from 
an  acquaintance  with  us.  On  this  subject  Abraham  replied  to 
them,  as  he  informed  me,  that  my  business  was  preaching,  teach 
ing  school,  and  instructing  Indians  in  mechanical  trades  and  in 
agriculture;  that  Menominee,  being  a  preacher  also,  knew  by 
experience  that  preachers  received  but  little  pay,  and  had  but 
little  to  give  away;  the  food  and  clothing  at  the  institution 
were  not  really  mine — they  were  intrusted  to  my  care,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  children  who  attended  school,  and  for  none  others; 
but  we  would  instruct  them  to  make  clothes,  which  would  be 
far  better  than  a  few  presents  of  clothing  ;  the  latter  would  soon 
wear  out,  but  a  knowledge  of  manufacturing  cloth  would  be  a 
lasting  benefit. 

The  weather  being  excessively  hot,  and  we  being  obliged  to 
use  water  taken  from  a  filthy  pond,  the  flies  exceedingly  severe 
on  our  horses,  and  our  situation  in  every  respect  being  very  un 
pleasant  and  unwholesome,  Abraham,  who  was  already  sick, 
insisted  on  our  leaving.  He  said,  "  We  stay  here,  I'm  sure  we 
die ;  our  horses  die  too.  Me  no  want  to  die  here."  Menomi 
nee  called  together  all  his  people,  of  whom  I  took  an  affection 
ate  leave,  after  promising  them  that,  if  practicable,  I  would  visit 
them  again  when  the  leaves  began  to  fall.  Menominee  walked 
14 


106  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

with  us  half  a  mile,  begged  a  continuation  of  our  friendship, 
declared  that  he  would  continue  to  endeavour  to  please  God, 
and  do  right ;  and  so  we  parted  ;  when  I  was  made  to  exclaim, 
"  O,  compassionate  Saviour !  didst  not  thou  expand  thy  bleed 
ing  arms  upon  Mount  Calvary  !  and  is  there  not  room  in  thy 
bleeding  bosom  for  these  dear  people  ?  and  will  not  this  desert 
soon  begin  to  rejoice  ?" 

Here  was  an  uncommonly  favourable  opening  for  doing  good 
to  these  dear,  artless  people,  who  appeared  ready  to  receive 
instruction  in  things  relating  both  to  this  life  and  that  which  is 
to  come ;  but  it  was  impossible  for  a  solitary  missionary  and  his 
wife,  who  already  had  much  more  upon  their  hands  than  they 
could  manage,  to  improve  the  opening  here  presented.  It  was 
more  properly  the  duty  of  the  Baptist  denomination  to  see  to 
them,  than  that  of  others,  because  Providence  had  allowed  us 
to  become  acquainted  with  them  ;  but  among  three  or  four  hun 
dred  thousand  of  our  denomination  in  the  United  States,  none 
manifested  a  willingness  to  make  his  home  in  the  desert,  and 
teach  these  poor  anxious  inquirers  the  path  to  heaven.  Within 
a  year  after  the  time  of  which  we  are  writing,  the  party,  as  such, 
began  to  dwindle,  and  long  since  it  has  ceased  to  exist  as  a  re 
ligious  party.  Some  have  died,  and  some  have  returned  to  the 
vices  which  once  they  denounced;  but,  in  the  great  day  of  ac 
counts,  will  they  not  have  cause  to  complain  of  the  thousands 
of  Christians  who,  though  not  far  from  them,  neglected  to 
hold  out  to  them  the  lamp  of  life?  They  were  left  to  wander 
in  the  dark,  and  have  fallen.  It  is  /done  ;  we  cannot  now  go 
back  to  atone  for  our  criminal  neglect  of  the  party  of  poor  Meno- 
minee.  We  shall  have  attained  our  end  in  telling  this  sad  tale 
of  our  injustice,  if  the  narrative  should  induce  a  discharge  of 
Christian  duty  to  others  within  our  reach. 

It  was  on  the  12th  of  June  that  we  left  Menominee's  village. 
The  heat  was  excessive,  and  the  flies  so  numerous  that  our 
horses  could  scarcely  travel.  We  suffered  for  want  of  water 
ourselves,  and  often  could  get  none,  only  in  ponds,  and  so  full 
of  animalcule,  that,  before  drinking,  we  strained  it  through  our 
handkerchiefs.  About  three  o'clock  we  fell  in  with  a  company 
of  Sauks,  on  their  way  to  Canada,  for  presents,  which  the  British 
there  make  to  them,  and  other  tribes,  annually.  When  they 
first  discovered  us,  some  of  them  came  dashing  up,  in  a  manner 
which  made  us  suspect  that  they  intended  to  insult  us.  In  this 
•we  were  mistaken.  At  sunset  we  arrived  at  a  small  Putawatomie 
village,  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Joseph  river.  I  was  so  much 
exhausted  that  1  was  scarcely  able  to  walk.  I  lay  down  on 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  107 

my  blankets  in  the  yard,  and  listened  to  two  men  who  were 
within  a  bark  hut,  sweating  for  their  health.  They  poured 
water  upon  heated  rocks,  and  placed  themselves  in  the  steam 
which  arose,  and  by  this  means  produced  violent  perspiration. 
They  commenced  with  a  short  song,  and  then  fell  into  a  kind 
of  prayer,  of  very  few  words,  which  was  uttered  in  a  sing-song 
tone,  repeated  three  or  four  times  in  a  minute.  This  was  kept 
up  without  intermission  during  the  whole  process  of  sweating 
over  the  heated  rocks.  Having  remained  in  the  sweat-house  as 
long  as  they  desired,  they  hastened  to  the  river;  and,  when  in 
a  profuse  perspiration,  plunged  into  it.  After  remaining  in  the 
river  a  short  time,  they  returned  to  their  tent,  and  wrapped 
themselves  in  their  blankets. 

We  had  not  been  there  long  before  a  large  wooden  bowl  of 
thick  soup,  made  of  pounded  corn,  without  grease  or  salt,  was 
placed  before  us.  I  was  very  hungry  and  faint,  and  withal  a 
little  sick  :  a  comfortable  meal  would  have  been  very  grateful, 
but  the  cookery  appeared  so  extremely  filthy,  that  it  was  with 
much  self-denial  I  partook  of  a  small  portion.  We  then  bor 
rowed  a  kettle,  and  made  coffee  for  ourselves.  In  this  we  were 
not  less  unfortunate;  for  it  turned  out  that  the  kettle  was  so 
unclean,  that  even  Abraham,  who  was  more  accustomed  to 
Indian  fare  than  I,  could  not  drink  our  coffee.  About  the  same 
time  the  Indians  commenced  eating  upon  the  same  ground;  the 
group  which  sat  nearest  to  me  consisted  of  an  old  woman,  with 
the  carcass  of  some  small  animal  on  her  lap,  four  children,  eight 
dogs,  and  a  cat.  Puss  and  the  surly  curs  had  some  contention 
about  their  claims ;  and  as  the  supper  was  likely  to  be  rather 
scant,  some  snapping,  and  at  length  a  heavy  fight,  ensued  among 
the  canine  guests,  who  were  so  incautious  in  the  affray  as  to 
tumble  over  one  of  the  children.  For  this  ill  manners  poor 
Tray  had  to  submit  to  a  severe  pelting  from  the  affectionate 
mother ;  which,  though  it  was  a  just  punishment,  he  could  not 
bear  without  complaining  as  loudly  as  the  injured  child. 

We  left  this  place  early  on  the  following  morning ;  the  day 
was  rainy,  and  the  thick  brush  along  our  narrow  path  wet.  For 
our  dinner  we  divided  between  us  the  only  biscuit  we  had  left. 
Passed  three  villages,  at  one  of  which  we  halted  a  short  time, 
and  had  some  conversation  on  the  subject  of  our  mission.  In 
the  afternoon  reached  the  residence  of  the  Burnetts,  Abraham's 
relations,  who  were  half-breeds,  and  who  resided  near  Lake 
Michigan.  Here  we  were  made  comfortable,  rested  two  days, 
and  obtained  a  supply  of  provisions.  I  was  by  this  time  so 
feeble  that  I  could  scarcely  walk.  Abraham  was  unwell,  and 


108  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

scarcely  able  to  travel.  By  mingling  with  the  Indians,  our 
clothes  had  become  infested  with  the  filthy  vermin  so  abundant 
among  all  uncivilized  Indians,  which  was  a  sickening  as  well  as 
an  annoying  circumstance.  The  Burnetts,  who  were  acknow 
ledged  Indians  by  their  tribe,  were  related  to  Topenebe,  the 
principal  chief  of  the  Putawatomie  tribe.  They  were  intelli 
gent,  and  I  availed  myself  of  their  influence  in  bringing  the 
Putawatornies  into  measures.  We  awaited  the  arrival  of  one 
of  them  who  attended  a  feast  at  Topenebe's,  at  which  they 
cooked  eight  deer.  He  also  attended  a  council,  at  which  the 
question,  whether  it  would  be  advisable  for  the  mission  to  be 
located  among  them,  was  discussed.  The  principal  chiefs  had 
referred  the  matter  to  the  young  men,  who  knew  little  about  it, 
and  cared  less,  and  who  decided  that  it  was  not  necessary  for 
the  mission  to  be  located  there.  This  decision  occasioned  no 
discouragement,  because  I  was  confident  that  matters  were  in  a 
train  to  secure  the  consent  of  the  principal  chief,  and  indeed  of 
every  one  else,  as  soon  as  proper  explanations  of  our  objects 
could  be  made.  A  daughter  of  Topenebe  gave  me  two  of  her 
sons,  about  five  and  seven  years  old,  to  take  to  our  school.  Both 
were  so  nearly  naked  that  they  could  not  travel  among  the  flies 
and  musketoes  until  I  had  procured  clothing  for  them. 

We  left  Burnett's  early  on  the  16th,  and  at  about  ten  miles 
took  into  our  company  a  third  Indian  boy,  which  had  been  pro 
mised  to  me  a  few  days  before.  I  hired  two  Indians  to  carry 
the  boys  thirty  miles.  Having  halted  a  little  at  noon,  all  were 
ready,  and  resumed  their  journey  a  few  minutes  before  me. 
When  I  came  up  with  them,  they  were  halted  with  a  company 
which  they  had  met,  with  whiskey.  Our  Indians  seemed  to  be 
waiting  for  a  dram,  while  one  of  the  other  party  appeared  to 
be  outrageously  mad.  He  at  length  seized  a  pistol  of  one  of 
our  company,  and  endeavoured  to  force  it  from  his  belt,  that 
he  might  discharge  it  at  the  owner.  The  latter  at  length  dis 
mounted,  and  raised  a  club  upon  the  madman,  who  was  hauled 
away  by  others  of  his  party.  Some  heavy  scuffling  ensued, 
and  I  expected  to  see  bloodshed,  which,  happily,  was  not  the 
case.  I  was  concerned  for  my  little  boys,  who  were  in  the 
midst  of  the  tumult,  and  I  kept  rny  eye  upon  them  until  we 
were  under  way  again.  Not  one  of  them  attempted  to  trouble 
me.  We  travelled  through  a  great  rain,  and  lodged  at  the 
trading  house. 

On  the  night  of  the  17th  we  encamped  near  a  company 
driving  cattle  through  the  wilderness  to  the  army  at  Chicago. 
One  of  their  company  had  sickened,  and  was  perfectly  de- 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


109 


ranged.  On  the  following  morning  I  was  requested  to  assist  in 
taking  him  back  to  Fort  Wayne,  one  of  the  proprietors  accom 
panying  us.  We  found  great  difficulty  in  keeping  him  upon 
his  horse ;  after  various  unsuccessful  measures,  we  tied  his 
feet  under  the  horse.  A  lusty  Frenchman  had  fallen  into  our 
company,  whom  we  hired  to  assist,  and  him  we  placed  on  the 
horse,  behind  the  poor  maniac,  to  hold  him  on,  and  the  other 
man  walked  by  his  side,  for  the  same  purpose,  while  one  of  us 
led  the  horse.  After  conveying  him  about  five  miles,  and  find 
ing  it  impossible  to  proceed,  we  turned  off  to  an  Indian  hut, 
into  which  the  owners  kindly  allowed  him  to  come,  and  spread 
a  mat  for  him  to  lie  upon.  Neither  the  circumstances  of  our 
company,  nor  our  affairs  at  home,  admitted  of  our  losing  time. 
After  directing  the  two  men  whom  we  left,  to  take  care  of  the 
sick  man,  and  how  to  bleed  him  with  a  flint,  as  we  had  no  lancet, 
we  proceeded.  After  we  left,  they  again  attempted  to  travel 
with  the  sick,  but  the  poor  man  died  on  the  following  day. 
They  had  not  the  means  of  burying  him  in  the  earth,  and 
having  found  a  hollow  occasioned  by  a  tree  being  torn  up  by 
the  roots  by  the  wind,  they  laid  the  corpse  there,  and  covered 
it  with  old  fallen  timber,  such  as  could  be  gathered  without  the 
use  of  the  axe.  We  found  some  trouble  in  crossing  a  swamp, 
so  that  we  had  to  lighten  the  burdens  of  the  horses,  and  carry 
our  baggage  across  upon  our  shoulders,  and  soon  after  we  en 
camped,  we  had  a  violent  storm  of  wind  and  rain. 

On  the  19th  we  found  the  creeks  full;  in  crossing  one  of 
which,  that  was  almost  swimming  to  my  horse,  he  fell  with  me 
twice,  and  drenched  me  pretty  thoroughly.  WTe  had  but  fairly 
got  clear  of  the  creek,  when  we  encountered  another  severe 
rain  and  wind ;  swam  our  horses  across  St.  Mary's  river,  where 
we  had  a  canoe  for  the  conveyance  of  our  persons,  and  entered 
our  own  door  in  a  condition  very  different  from  dry  and  comfort 
able. 

The  situation  of  Mrs,  McCoy  had  become  such  as  to  re^ 
quire  attentions  which  our  wilderness  residence  did  not  afford. 
The  most  eligible  mode  of  conveying  her  to  a  suitable  place  in 
the  settled  country  was  to  descend  the  Wabash  river  in  an 
open  canoe.  The  distance  by  water  was  between  three  and 
four  hundred  miles,  and  more  than  half  of  this  was  through  a 
wilderness,  inhabited  only  by  uncivilized  Indians.  It  was  the 
25th  of  June,  that,  with  our  three  younger  children,  she  took 
her  leave,  not  expecting  to  return  in  less  time  than  three  months. 
Neither  of  us  had  ever  felt  a  parting  scene  so  trying  as  this. 
She  was  entering  a  gloomy  desert  with  our  three  babes,  and 


110 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


the  sickly  season  of  the  year  had  already  commenced.  It  was 
now  the  heat  of  summer,  and  the  rnusketoes  were  as  numerous 
as  were  ever  known.  The  first  night  they  encamped,  Mrs. 
McCoy  spent  without  sleep,  driving  the  rnusketoes  from  her 
little  children.  They  were  nine  days  on  the  river,  and  scarcely 
a  day  passed  without  rain,  to  which  in  their  open  canoe  they 
were  exposed  without  a  shelter  ;  their  provisions  damaged,  and 
their  clothing  mildewed  with  wet  and  heat.  Still  Jacob's  God 
was  round  about  them  by  night  and  by  day.  She  returned  by 
land  through  the  wilderness,  and  reached  Fort  Wayne  the  14th 
of  September,  with  the  addition  of  one  to  the  number  of  her 
little  ones.  In  her  absence,  when  I  was  left  in  charge  of  forty- 
seven  Indian  youths,  I  learned  by  experience  how  onerous  had 
been  her  duties  when  I  had  frequently  left  her  sole  manager  of 
the  mission. 

On  the  8th  of  July  I  baptized  Mrs.  Turner,  whose  mother 
mother  was  a  Miamie.  Of  this  woman's  conversion  mention 
has  already  been  made.  On  the  15th  I  baptized  a  white 
woman  whom  we  had  hired  to  labour  in  the  family,  and  who 
gave  satisfactory  evidence  of  her  conversion  to  God. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

:    .-    '••»  !IK>    f?U«Ji!     :-?.•", 

Dreadful  effects  of  ardent  spirits.  Superintendents  of  Mis 
sionary  Stations.  Important  treaty  at  Chicago.  Beneficial 
Stipulations.  Indian  murders.  Candidates  for  Missionary 
Service.  Sickness.  Indian  murders.  Circular  to  the  pub 
lic.  Want  of  suitable  school  teachers.  Journey  to  Wash 
ington  City.  Arrival  of  a  Missionary.  Appointment  of 
Missionaries.  Injury  received  from  an  Indian.  Manufac 
ture  of  cloth. 


Early  in  July,  1821,  Chebass,  a  chief  from  St.  Joseph  river, 
informed  me  that  no  decision  unfavourable  to  our  locating  among 
the  Putawatomies  had  been  made  among  them,  as  had  been 
reported.  Meteor,  another  Putawatomie  chief,  was  present, 
and  made  something  of  a  speech,  and  concluded  by  request 
ing  me  to  furnish  them  with  some  whiskey.  I  told  him  that 
preachers  were  not  in  the  habit  of  drinking  whiskey.  He 
then  said  that  he  had  not  requested  me  to  drink,  nor  would 
he  ask  me  even  to  procure  the  liquor  for  them  ;  he  would 
be  satisfied  if  I  would  give  him  a  little  money  with  which  to 
buy  whiskey.  I  pointed  to  the  pitcher  upon  the  table,  and 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


Ill 


said,  "  that  is  very  good  water."  Meteor  paused  and  smiledy 
and  taking  me  by  the  hand,  said,  "  My  father,  you  are  right. 
The  Great  Spirit  will  hear  what  you  say,  and  protect  you,  for 
1  find  that  you  are  a  good  man."  Fort  Wayne  was  the  resort 
of  many  Indians  from  different  places.  We  frequently  invited 
them  to  visit  the  school,  and  we  also  took  pains  to  explain  to 
them  the  mode  of  conducting  our  business  generally.  Many  of 
them  flattered  us  with  approbation,  who  never  practically  mani 
fested  a  desire  to  promote  civilization  among  their  people ;  and 
among  such  were  the  two  chiefs  named  above. 

In  order  to  satisfy  the  parents  of  our  pupils,  and  others  who* 
felt  an  interest  in  their  welfare,  that  their  children  were  treated 
with  kindness,  we  had  taken  into  our  family  an  elderly  Puta- 
watomie  widow,  of  much  respectability  among  her  people. 
When  complaints  would  reach  the  parents,  this  old  woman,  in 
whom  they  had  confidence,  could  state  the  facts  in  a  manner 
which  seldom  failed  to  give  satisfaction.  Early  in  July,  we  heard 
of  the  death  of  her  mother,  who  was  a  very  aged  and  intem 
perate  woman.  She  had  been  left  alone  at  her  camp,  with 
whiskey  in  her  possession,  and  was  never  heard  of  afterwards. 
She  was,  no  doubt,  devoured  by  beasts  and  buzzards. 

As  a  matter  of  economy,  in  our  expensive  charge,  we  culti 
vated  about  thirty  acres  of  corn,  and  mowed  hay  on  the  prai 
ries.  In  attending  to  this  business,  besides  our  labour  in  a  large 
garden,  we  sometimes  employed  the  boys  of  our  school.  When 
they  worked,  I  had  to  work  with  them,  not  only  for  the  purpose 
of  teaching  them  and  of  preventing  idleness,  but  also  to  satisfy 
both  them  and  their  parents  that  we  did  not  esteem  labour  dis 
graceful.  In  addition  to  the  laziness  which  habit  produces  in-, 
the  Indian,  we  have  found  his  mistaken  sense  of  honour,  es 
teeming  it  degrading  to  labour,  a  formidable  obstacle  to  his  im 
provement.  Their  first  and  most  intimate  acquaintances  are 
such  as  are  connected  with  Indian  trade.  Between  the  princi 
pals  in  trade  or  their  clerks,  and  their  hired  hands,  is  usually  as 
much  distinction  as  there  is  between  a  southern  planter  and  his 
negro  slaves.  The  Indians  discovering  that  the  employees,  who 
alone  performed  the  drudgery,  were  treated  as  menials,  naturally 
drew  the  conclusion  that  manual  labour  was  generally  esteemed 
to  be  degrading  among  the  whites.  We  found  it  necessary, 
therefore,  to  correct  this  impression  by  our  own  example. 

On  the  25th  of  July  a  Putawatomie  came  into  my  house 
with  many  singular  airs.  He  first  touched  my  hand,  and  then 
kissed  the  place  on  his  own  hand  which  had  come  in  contact 
with  mine..  He  then  wet  his  finger  and  touched  my  forehead,. 


112 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


each  shoulder,  and  my  breast,  which  was  virtually  crossing  me 
according  to  the  Catholic  ceremonies.  He  then  bowed  almost 
to  the  ground,  and,  rising,  shook  my  hand  and  took  his  seat.  I 
quietly  allowed  the  simpleton  to  perform  his  ceremonies  to  his 
own  taste.  He  then  proceeded  to  inform  me,  that  on  the  pre 
ceding  night  a  friend  of  his  had  been  murdered  with  a  knife,  by 
one  of  their  acquaintances,  and  desired  me  to  go  and  baptize 
him.  I  told  him  it  was  too  late  to  baptize  him  ;  that  baptism 
would  be  of  no  service  to  a  dead  man.  He  then  requested  me 
to  give  him  four  quarts  of  whiskey  to  "  cover  the  dead"  as  they 
express  themselves,  and  "to  help  them  to  mourn  for  their  de 
parted  friend."  The  putting  of  clothes,  food,  whiskey,  hunting 
apparatus,  &tc.,  into  the  grave  with  the  deceased,  they  call  "  cov 
ering  the  dead."  Most  of  the  whiskey,  however,  on  such  oc 
casions,  is  drunk  by  the  living,  who  frequently  have  another 
murder  committed  before  the  termination  of  their  season  of 
mourning.  I  assured  him  that  I  would  not  give  whiskey  to  an 
Indian  on  any  occasion,  but  that  I  strove  to  prevent  them  from 
destroying  themselves  by  it ;  but  I  would  give  him  a  little  to 
bacco.  He  wept,  and  accepted  the  tobacco.  I  took  one  of  our 
Putawatomie  scholars  and  proceeded  to  the  place  where  it  was 
said  the  dead  man  lay,  with  a  view  to  attend  his  funeral.  The 
poor  wretch  was  yet  alive,  and  weltering  in  his  blood.  Many 
Indians  were  about  the  place,  all  intoxicated  excepting  three  or 
four.  The  murderer  was  with  the  drunken.  On  the  6th  of  Au 
gust  we  heard  of  the  murder  of  two  Shawanoes  at  Wapaughkon- 
netta,  southeast  of  us ;  and  on  the  10th  we  heard  of  two  others 
being  killed  among  the  Miamies,  of  Massassinawa.  Such  scenes 
were  shocking  in  the  extreme. 

About  this  time  the  board  resolved  to  "  select,  in  the  vicinity 
of  their  respective  Indian  stations,  brethren  of  well  known  piety 
and  discretion,  to  fulfil  the  office  of  superintendents"  of  the  seve 
ral  missions.  This  regulation  was  really  applied  in  regard  to 
the  Cherokee  mission,  but  not  in  relation  to  ours.  Indeed,  we 
were  surprised  to  find  the  measure  proposed  in  general  terms,  as 
if  applicable  to  all  stations,  because  no  such  persons  resided  in 
what  could  be  termed  the  vicinity  of  our  station  ;  and  a  man 
who  resided  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  miles  from 
the  station,  who  had  begun  and  intended  to  end  his  life  in  civil 
ized  society,  who  was  ignorant  of  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  Indians,  and  of  the  privations  of  the  missionaries,  and  whose 
attention  was  directed  generally  to  other  matters,  so  that  he 
could  only  think  of  Indian  affairs  occasionally,  must  be  poorly 
qualified  to  superintend. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


113 


During  the  absence  of  Mrs.  M.  in  Indiana,  the  contem 
plated  and  important  treaty  with  the  Indians  at  Chicago  came 
on.  It  being  impossible  for  me  to  leave  home  at  that  time 
to  attend  it,  at  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles, 
I  looked  around  with  great  solicitude  for  a  person  whom  I 
could  employ,  and  in  whose  integrity  and  talents  I  could  con 
fide.  I  could  do  no  better  than  send  the  teacher  of  our  school, 
who  could  illy  be  spared.  So  difficult  was  it,  in  our  remote 
situation,  to  get  a  teacher  who  would  not  do  more  harm  than 
good,  that  in  a  few  weeks'  absence  of  the  one  mentioned  above 
I  had  to  dismiss  one  and  try  another. 

The  messenger  to  Chicago,  mentioned  above,  was  made 
acquainted  with  all  our  plans  and  doings  in  regard  to  matters 
among  those  Indians,  and  both  they  and  the  commissioners  were 
requested  to  listen  to  his  propositions.  His  instructions  were  full. 
He  left  Fort  Wayne  on  the  2d  of  August,  accompanied  by 
Abraham  Burnett,  one  of  our  pupils.  As  it  was  at  this  treaty 
that  we  had  long  been  hoping  to  make  some  arrangements  for 
getting  to  a  more  suitable  location  for  the  mission,  and  for 
obtaining  something  for  future  support,  I  was  distressed  that  I 
could  not  be  present  myself.  In  the  midst  of  deep  anxieties, 
it  was  not  a  little  relief  to  my  mind,  when,  on  the  9th  of  August, 
Col.  Trimble,  of  Ohio,  United  States'  Senator,  on  his  way  to 
the  treaty,  looked  in  upon  me,  and  inquired  into  our  affairs.  He 
requested  a  written  statement  of  our  progress  and  present  con 
dition.  I  gave  him,  in  writing,  the  whole  of  my  plans  and 
wishes,  and  he  kindly  promised  his  most  zealous  support  at  the 
treaty,  and  declared  his  readiness  to  help  at  any  subsequent 
period.  We  have  reason  to  remember  his  kind  offices  at  the 
treaty;  and  in  his  death,  which  occurred  not  long  after,  we  felt 
that  we  had  lost  a  friend.  Through  the  favour  of  a  kind  Pro 
vidence,  our  propositions  at  the  treaty  of  Chicago  were  success 
ful,  notwithstanding  that  matters  were  not  arranged  precisely  in 
the  manner  that  we  had  marked  out  in  our  plans. 

The  Putawatomies  gave  a  mile  square  of  land  for  mission 
premises,  to  be  located  under  the  directions  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  held  by  him  as  United  States'  property. 
It  was  stipulated,  that  for  the -benefit  of  the  Putawatomies, 
Government  should  place  upon  this  section  of  land  a  teacher 
and  a  blacksmith,  and  should  expend  in  their  support  01,000 
annually,  for  the  term  of  fifteen  years.  To  bring  about  such 
an  arrangement  as  this,  had  cost  us  much  labour,  watchfulness, 
and  anxiety.  Others,  in  their  intercourse  with  the  Indians,  had 
money  and  goods  with  which  to  purchase  their  consent  to  mea- 

15 


114 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


sures  to  which  they  otherwise  felt  disinclined ;  but  we  had  neither 
money  nor  consciences  that  could  be  thus  used.  We  had, 
also,  many  strong  prejudices  of  the  natives  to  contend  with  in 
this  matter,  and  still  worse  passions  which  were  opposed  to  us 
by  some  mischievous  white  men.  At  the  moment,  when  in 
council,  the  Putawatomies  demanded  of  the  commissioners  a 
teacher,  a  certain  Roman  Catholic  Frenchman,  who  was  a  United 
States'  Indian  sub-agent,  and  who,  at  the  time,  was  interpreting 
for  the  United  States'  commissioners,  stated  to  them  (the  com 
missioners)  that  the  Indians  desired  that  the  teacher  be  a  Ro 
man  Catholic.  The  Indians,  the  moment  that  they  were  made, 
by  one  of  their  party  who  understood  English,  to  understand 
what  had  been  just  stated,  positively  contradicted  the  statement, 
and  declared  that  they  had  not  requested  a  Catholic  teacher  ; 
that  I  was  the  man  whom  they  desired  to  be  their  teacher.  Sub 
sequently,  this  office  was  given  me  by  the  Government,  which 
office  I  held  until  about  a  year  after  I  left  that  country  for  the 
Indian  territory,  which  was  in  1828.  My  salary  was  four  hun 
dred  dollars  a  year,  all  of  which  was  thrown  into  the  common 
missionary  fund  for  the  support  of  the  mission,  and  was  regularly 
accounted  for  to  the  board  of  missions,  as  so  much  money 
received  from  them.  For  the  time  that  I  was  allowed  the 
salary  after  I  left  the  station  on  Government  and  missionary 
business  in  the  west,  the  allowance  was  continued  because  a 
missionary  brotherwas  still  at  the  station,  attending  to  the  affairs 
of  the  mission,  and  my  salary  was  applied  to  his  support,  and 
not  to  that  of  my  own. 

A  full  explanation  of  our  connection  with  Government,  which 
grew  out  of  the  treaty  of  Chicago,  can  more  properly  be  given 
in  another  place  in  our  narrative. 

The  smithery  also  was  subsequently  placed  under  my  superin- 
tendency.  Three  hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars  a  year  was  al 
lowed  for  the  support  of  the  smith,  and  the  residue  of  the  $  1,000 
annuity  was  applied  to  the  furnishing  of  iron,  steel,  &ic.,  for  the 
smithery.  These  arrangements,  as  will  be  learned  from  our  story 
hereafter,  became  a  source  of  great  relief  in  pecuniary  matters. 
At  the  treaty  under  consideration,  Government  also  engaged  to 
furnish  the  Ottawas  with  a  teacher,  a  farmer,  and  a  black 
smith  ;  to  locate  them  on  a  mile  square  of  land,  to  be  selected 
and  held  similarly  to  that  aforementioned  for  the  Putawatomies, 
and  to  expend  in  support  of  those  persons  $1,500  per  annum, 
for  the  term  of  ten  years  ;  and  also  to  furnish  the  Ottawas  with 
a  considerable  number  of  cattle,  farming  utensils,  &tc.  Subse 
quently,  the  Government  was  pleased  to  place  under  my  super- 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


115 


intendency  the  persons  employed  as  above   provided    by   the 
treaty,  and  also  the  distribution  of  the  cattle  to  the  Ottawas. 

Had  it  not  been  for  these  measures,  our  mission  there  would 
probably  have  been  discontinued,  for  want  of  support.  In  these 
matters,  the  special  interposition  of  Providence  in  our  favour 
appeared  to  us  evident.  We  therefore  thanked  God  and  took 
courage.  But  it  was  about  a  year  and  a  half  after  the  treaty, 
before  we  derived  any  pecuniary  aid  from  these  arrangements. 

The  facilities  provided  for  the  benefit  of  the  Ottawas  could 
not  be  secured  to  our  mission  as  early  as  those  for  the  Putawat- 
omies,  on  account  of  the  failure  of  a  missionary,  as  will  be  men 
tioned  hereafter.  In  the  mean  time,  the  man  whom  I  had 
employed  to  carry  my  despatches  to  the  treaty,  and  whom  I 
had  retained  in  my  employment,  for  wages,  as  school  teacher, 
conceived  the  design  of  supplanting  us  in  the  matter  relating 
to  the  Ottawas,  merely  for  the  sake  of  the  salary  of  the  teacher 
for  that  station,  for  which  the  treaty  stipulated,  without  any 
pretensions  to  be  influenced  by  regard  for  the  welfare  of  the 
Indians.  He  was  a  professor  of  religion,  but  not  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  he  had  secured  my  confidence  as 
a  Christian  and  a  friend.  In  maturing  his  plans,  he  made  a 
journey  to  Ohio,  on  a  pretext  which  was  satisfactory  tome  ;  and 
I  loaned  him  my  horse  to  ride,  and  furnished  other  things 
for  his  convenience  in  travelling.  On  his  journey  he  made 
known  to  one  of  the  United  States'  agents  for  Indian  affairs  his 
design  to  supplant  us  in  the  station  contemplated  among  the 
Ottawas,  and  desired  his  assistance  in  the  measure.  Fie  was 
considerably  indebted  to  the  agent;  and  whether  the  influence 
of  a  hope  of  recovering  a  bad  debt,  or  some  other  consideration, 
weighed  with  the  latter,  he  did  undertake  to  aid  the  design,  and 
to  this  end,  furnished  him  with  papers  to  the  Governour  of  Mi 
chigan  Territory,  who  had  control  of  those  appointments.  The 
secret  was  communicated  to  me  by  a  friend,  and  on  his  return 
to  Fort  Wayne  I  reasoned  and  remonstrated  with  him,  but  in 
vain.  He  appeared  confident  of  success,  in  consequence  of  the 
high  standing  in  the  Indian  department  of  the  agent,  who  had 
given  him,  he  said,  the  best  of  testimonials;  and  he  even  threat 
ened,  that  if  I  attempted  to  expose  him,  it  should  be  at  my  peril. 
He  was  at  that  time  on  his  way  to  the  Governour  of  Michigan, 
in  company  with  another  person.  I  could  not  possibly  leave 
home,  and  I  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  make  a  communica 
tion  to  the  Governour  as  early  as  his  application  should  be 
presented.  I  accordingly  prepared  my  communication,  and 
prevailed  on  a  friend  to  enclose  it  in  one  of  his  own  to  Detroit. 


116 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


This  was  sent  by  the  mischievous  man  and  his  companion. 
Thus,  without  suspecting  it,  they  carried  with  them  a  commu 
nication  adverse  to  their  application,  and  which,  no  doubt,  con 
tributed  not  a  little  to  defeat  it. 

In  bringing  to  view,  in  connection,  a  few  prominent  facts  in 
relation  to  the  measures  which  grew  out  of  the  treaty  of  Chicago, 
we  have,  in  the  order  of  time,  advanced  beyond  other  matters 
which  claim  our  attention. 

After  the  business  of  the  treaty  was  completed  at  Chicago, 
and  before  the  Indians  left  the  treaty  ground,  they  received 
seven  barrels  of  whiskey,  and  within  twenty-four  hours  after 
wards  ten  shocking  murders  were  committed  among  them. 
About  the  same  time  we  heard  of  three  murders  being  commit 
ted  at  Massassinavva,  among  the  Miamies,  and  also  of  two  Sha- 
wanoes  being  murdered  at  Wapaughkonnetta,  on  the  east  of  us. 

About  the  middle  of  August  a  gentleman  wrote  rne,  proposing 
to  become  a  missionary.  But,  greatly  as  we  needed  assist 
ance,  I  was,  in  conscience,  compelled  to  dissuade  him  from  the 
undertaking,  as  I  believed  that  his  qualifications  were  not  such  as 
were  essential  to  a  missionary.  I  had  very  different  views  of  a 
young  minister  from  the  city  of  New-York,  Mr.  John  Sears, 
who,  on  a  tour  of  preaching  to  the  whites,  extended  his  route 
to  our  place,  for  the  sake  of  information  in  relation  to  Indian 
missions,  and  with  a  view  to  becoming  a  missionary.  I  visited 
several  Indian  villages  with  him,  and  was  so  well  satisfied  with 
his  qualifications  as  to  give  him  assurance  of  my  readiness  to 
serve  him  in  endeavouring  to  procure  for  him  an  appointment 
from  the  board  of  missions.  In  this  month,  also,  I  had  occasion 
to  record  in  my  journal  an  instance  of  misplaced  confidence.  A 
soldier  belonging  to  the^army  at  Chicago  had  frequently  been  sent 
express  to  our  post,  and  had  insinuated  himself  into  my  favour 
able  opinion  so  far,  that  from  his  having  been  much  in  the  wil 
derness,  a  man  of  good  English  education,  and  now  professedly 
serious,  I  hoped  that  he  might  be  employed  usefully  in  our  wil 
derness  excursions,  and  as  a  school  teacher.  At  his  pressing 
request,  I  wrote  to  the  commanding  officer  in  Michigan,  and 
succeeded  in  obtaining  his  discharge  from  the  army,  by  furnish 
ing  a  substitute  which  he  himself  found.  This  matter  cost  me 
sixty  dollars.  He  appeared  very  grateful,  and  his  widowed 
mother,  in  Canada,  wrote  me  a  letter  of  many  thanks.  I  put 
him  into  our  school ;  but  he  soon  became  drunken  and  worth 
less,  and  I  was  compelled  to  dismiss  him,  lose  my  money  that  I 
had  advanced  on  his  account,  and  to  bear  the  affront  of  his 
ingratitude  in  various  ways. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS, 


11? 


On  the  24th  of  August  a  gentleman  from  Indiana  arrived, 
with  the  desire  of  uniting  with  us  in  our  labours.     I  employed 
him  a  month  or  more  for  wages,  and,  from  the  trial  thus  made,  I 
believed  that  he  would  not  be  useful,  and  advised  him  to  give 
over  the  design  of  labouring  as  a   missionary.     It  may  not  be 
amiss  to  remark,  that  our  principal  difficulty,  in  relation  to  this 
man's  qualifications,  was  a  fear  that  he  was  not  a  Christian.    The 
account  which  he  gave  of  a  work  of  grace  on  his  heart  was  not 
satisfactory,  notwithstanding  his  morals  were  good,  and  he  was 
an  orderly  member  of  a  Baptist  church.     Precisely  the  same 
difficulty  had  been  felt  in  relation  to  another  person,  to  whom  we 
had  given  similar  advice.    About  this  time  I  hired  one  Konkapot, 
an  Indian  from  New- York,   to  carry  communications  to  other 
New-York  Indians,  who  at  this  time  resided  about  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  miles   from  us.     They  were  somewhat  civilized. 
I  informed  them  of  our  design  to  locate  in  a  more  eligible  situa 
tion  than  the  one  which  we  at  that  time  occupied,  and  I  invited 
them,  as  I  had  done  others  in  New- York,  to  settle  around  us. 
This  design  embraced  their  own  benefit,  and  it  was  hoped  that 
it  would  be  the  means  of  promoting  the  improvement  of  others 
who  were  less  civilized.     We  had  conceived  a  design  of  forming 
a  settlement  of  civilized  Indians  ;  of  instituting  such  civil  order 
as  might  contribute  to  their  growth  and    permanent  improve 
ment,  and  of  holding  the  society  together,  if  possible,  wherever 
circumstances  might  compel  us  to  go.     But  we  designed  what 
we  have  not  yet  been  fully  able  to  accomplish.     On  the  re 
turn  of  Konkapot,  he  was  accompanied  by  a  chief  and  seven 
others  of  those  New- York  Indians.     They  professed  to  have 
made  their  visit  especially  to  me,  and  hence  expected  me  to 
feed  them  while  they  remained  about  our  place.     But  their 
real  errand  they  endeavoured  to  conceal  from  me,  which  was 
to  negotiate  for  a  residence  among  the  Miarnies,  where  we  had 
been    endeavouring  to  build  up  a  mission,   and    had  not  yet 
found  the  man  to  enter  upon  the  work.     In  event  of  their  suc 
cess  among  the  Miamies,  they  were  to  prepare  for  the  location 
of  a  mission  of  another  denomination.     Their  plans  were  never 
effected. 

Our  neighbourhood  became  exceedingly  unhealthy,  and  on 
the  21st  of  August,  1821,  several  of  our  family  were  attacked 
with  bilious  fevers.  On  the  22d  seven  were  sick,  including  our 
little  son  and  daughter,  the  only  children  we  had  at  home.  Mrs. 
McCoy  had  not  yet  returned  from  her  visit  to  the  white  settle 
ments,  on  which  she  had  left  us  in  the  month  of  June  preced 
ing.  On  the  27th  our  afflictions  were  such  that  we  dismissed 


118  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

the  school,  or  rather  suspended  studies,  for  our  scholars  boarded 
with  us,  and  were  clothed  by  us,  and  consequently  remained 
with  us,  whether  they  were  in  the  school  or  out  of  it.  On  the 
1st  of  September  1  was  attacked  myself,  but  not  con6ned  to 
my  bed.  The  neighbours  around  us  were  very  sickly.  It  was 
the  season  when  it  was  necessary  to  provide  hay  and  fodder  for 
food  for  our  cattle  and  horses  in  winter.  Though  sick  myself, 
1  was  obliged  to  superintend  all  our  business,  both  without  doors 
and  within.  At  ten  o'clock  on  the  8th,  I  suddenly  became 
much  more  unwell,  and  in  less  than  three  hours  my  extremities 
had  become  cold,  and  my  flesh  generally  numb,  and  my  speech, 
sight,  and  hearing,  had  considerably  failed.  To  human  appear 
ance,  1  was  near  the  verge  of  time.  In  obedience  to  my  in 
structions,  those  around  me  continued  stimulant  applications 
until  I  somewhat  revived.  1  was  obliged  to  prescribe  for 
myself.  Ours  was,  at  this  time,  a  house  of  affliction.  I  find  the 
following  note  in  my  journal,  written  after  I  became  able  to 
handle  the  pen  :  "  The  afternoon  of  this  day  (September  8th) 
was  a  most  pleasant  time  with  my  soul,  and  I  said  to  my  friends 
around  me,  notwithstanding  I  am  now  scarcely  able  to  raise  my 
head  from  the  pillow,  yet,  if  ever  I  become  able  to  write,  1  will 
record  this  day  in  my  journal  as  one  of  my  most  happy  days. 
My  mind  was  calm,  and  death  seemed  to  be  disarmed  of  his 
sting.  I  could  happily  trust  my  family  to  the  good  Providence 
of  God.  My  wife  and  seven  of  our  children  were  absent ; 
nevertheless  I  felt  little  anxiety  on  that  account.  But  when  I 
thought  of  the  Indians,  I  felt  a  strong  desire  to  live  a  while  longer, 
that  I  might  see  the  mission  settled  upon  a  more  permanent 
basis  than  it  then  was,  and  that  I  might  preach  Jesus  to  perish 
ing  sinners."  While  I  apprehended  that  there  was  not  a  phy 
sician  within  one  hundred  miles  of  rne,  God  so  ordered  it  that 
that  very  night  two  physicians  stepped  into  my  room. 

I  find  in  my  journal  the  following,  written  for  the  14th  of 
September:  *'  Had  been  so  unwell,  that  I  recollected  little  that 
occurred  between  the  8th  and  the  14th,  only  that  I  had  had 
two  other  extremely  severe  turns.  On  that  day  my  little  son, 
Calvin,  was  exceedingly  ill,  so  that  it  was  a  question  which  of 
us  would  first  leave  the  world.  My  little  daughter  and  four 
others  were  sick.  All  seemed  but  a  scene  of  distress :  the 
school  suspended,  and  all  other  business  at  a  stand,  except  wait 
ing  upon  the  sick.  I  exclaimed,  "  Good  Lord,  what  will  become 
of  the  mission  ?"  But  mercy  was  mingled  with  our  afflictions. 
It  was  on  the  evening  of  this  14th  day  that  my  wife  arrived. 
At  this  time  the  Miamies  received  at  our  place  an  annuity  from 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


119 


Government.  I  had  hoped  that  I  should  be  able  to  transact 
much  important  business  with  them  at  this  meeting,  but  I  was 
confined  to  my  bed.  The  following  is  from  our  journal : 

"  October  8th.  Arn  able  to  walk  out  of  doors,  and  notice  a 
little  the  situation  of  the  establishment.  A  gloomy  cloud  hangs 
over  our  affairs.  New  cases  of  sickness  occurring  in  our  family; 
our  infant  daughter,  and  her  sister,  two  years  older,  very  sick. 
The  whole  charge  of  the  establishment  devolves  on  my  poor 
wife,  while  her  little  sick  children  will  be  consoled  by  none 
beside  herself.  If  we  had  a  man  who  would  manage  the  out 
door  concerns,  it  would  be  a  great  relief  to  her.  Our  Indian 
children  have  become  scattered  among  their  friends,  so  that, 
of  forty-eight,  we  have  only  twenty-three  with  us.  Still  we 
trust  that  our  God  *  hath  broken  up  for  our  afflictions  his  de 
creed  place,  and  hath  fixed  doors  and  bars,  and  said,  hitherto 
shalt  thou  come,  and  no  further,  and  here  shall  thy  proud 
waves  be  stayed.' 

"  October  18.  It  is  just  four  years  since  I  received  my  ap 
pointment  from  the  board  of  missions,  and  my  wife  and  I  are 
still  struggling  alone,  without  an  assistant  missionary." 

Through  mercy  we  were  all  again  restored  to  health.  On 
the  5th  of  November  I  was  able  to  preach,  sitting  in  my  chair. 
About  this  time  a  Miamie  woman,  who  resided  in  the  house  in 
which  we  opened  our  school  at  this  place,  threw  herself  in  the 
fire,  in  a  fit  of  intoxication,  and  burnt  herself  to  death.  Two 
more  Miamies  were  murdered  near  us. 

In  October  I  issued  a  printed  address  to  the  public,  setting 
forth  the  condition  and  prospects  of  the  mission,  and  requesting 
assistance  in  clothing,  books,  or  other  articles,  which  any  might 
choose  to  contribute,  and  of  which  we  were  in  want.  I  also* 
wrote  to  many  individuals,  expressing  our  want  of  missionaries^ 
Our  efforts  to  obtain  missionaries  were  less  successful  than  those 
which  related  to  the  means  of  support. 

On  the  recovery  of  our  health  our  scholars  returned  gene 
rally.  On  the  14th  of  November  we  had  the  happiness  again 
to  see  our  school  in  operation  ;  but  we  had  no  settled  teacher. 
I  prevailed  upon  an  elderly  doctor  who  had  come  into  our 
neighbourhood  to  take  charge  of  the  school  a  few  days.  After 
wards  I  put  into  the  school,  as  a  teacher,  a  young  man  of  very 
moderate  education,  whom  I  had  hired  to  labour  on  the  farm. 
I  wrote  to  the  white  settlements  to  hire  a  teacher,  and  on  the 
29th  of  November  one  arrived  with  the  design  of  serving  us. 

An  instance  of  attachment  of  Indian  youth  to  our  institution 
may  be  seen  in  the  following  brief  story  of  Consafqua.  She 


120 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


was  a  promising  Putawatomie  girl  of  about  fourteen  years  of 
age,  and  had  been  persuaded  to  leave  the  institution  by  some 
of  her  rude  kindred,  who  lived  a  hundred  miles  from  us.  She 
had  been  so  long  absent  that  we  had  despaired  of  her  return 
ing  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  her  relations  supposed  that  she  had 
become  effectually  weaned  from  regard  for  the  institution.  On 
the  5th  of  November  she  visited  the  trading  post  with  some  of  her 
relatives,  and  in  company  with  them  called  to  see  us.  We  said 
nothing  to  her  about  returning  to  reside  with  us.  After  leaving, 
she  contrived  to  send  a  message  to  us  by  one  of  our  female 
pupils,  and  inquired  at  the  same  time  if  we  would  permit  her 
to  return.  Our  answer  being  favourable,  she  slyly  left  her 
company,  and  hid  herself.  Her  company  soon  returned  to 
our  house  in  quest  of  her,  some  of  whom  appeared  to  be  much 
enraged,  and  threatened  her  life  if  they  should  find  her.  Some 
of  them  being  intoxicated,  we  had  reason  to  feel  apprehensions 
for  her  safety  ;  but  we  could  take  no  measures  to  conceal  her. 
Twenty  days  afterwards,  while  we  were  sitting  at  the  table,  one 
of  her  female  schoolmates  informed  her  hastily  that  her  rela 
tions  were  approaching  the  door  in  search  of  her.  She  instantly 
left  the  table,  shuddering  with  fear,  but  could  not  leave  the 
room,  because  the  Indians  were  already  around  the  doors.  She 
could  do  no  better  than  turn  her  face  to  the  wall,  in  the  hope 
that  they  would  not  recognise  her,  as  she  had  exchanged  her 
Indian  dress  for  those  of  English  fashion.  I  had  strange  feelings 
when  they  looked  into  the  room,  but  determined  not  to  inter 
fere,  unless  an  attempt  should  be  made  upon  her  life,  which  I 
had  too  much  reason  to  apprehend.  Happily  the  stratagem 
succeeded.  When  the  Indians  turned  away  to  examine  other 
apartments  of  the  house,  she  darted  out  at  a  back  door,  and  in 
less  than  a  minute  was  concealed  where  no  one  would  have 
thought  of  looking  for  her.  Despairing  of  finding  her,  they 
retired.  Her  inconsiderate  kindred,  however,  never  relinquished 
their  determination  to  keep  her  in  savage  condition,  and,  a  long 
time  after  this,  she  was  compelled  to  yield  to  their  wishes,  and 
return  to  them,  to  live  and  die  in  Indian  wretchedness. 

About  this  time  another  JViiamie  woman  was  murdered  by  a 
monster  of  her  tribe,  about  half  a  mile  from  our  house. 

We  had  made  the  board  of  missions  acquainted  with  the  provi 
sions  of  the  Chicago  treaty,  and  of  our  efforts,  in  various  ways,  to 
obtain  help  from  Government,  together  with  the  most  feasible 
plans  for  future  operations,  which  surrounding  circumstances 
suggested.  Also,  I  had  suggested  to  them  that,  in  order  to 
secure  the  facilities  for  which  we  had  laboured,  and  to  mature 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 

our  plans,  it  might  become  necessary  for  me  to  wait  on  them  in 
Philadelphia,  and  to  visit  Washington  City.  The  board  had 
approved  the  design  last  intimated,  and,  in  obedience  to  their 
instructions,  I  set  off  upon  this  journey  on  the  4th  of  Decem 
ber,  1821,  leaving  our  infant  child  so  sick  that  her  recovery 
could  scarcely  be  hoped  for. 

The  sole  management  of  the  institution  again  devolved  upon 
Mrs.  McCoy.  We  kept  some  oxen  and  milch  cattle ;  the 
taking  care  of  these,  the  procuring  of  fire-wood,  &c.,  made  it 
necessary  to  employ  a  few  hired  men.  Besides,  matters  which 
belonged  immediately  to  the  establishment,  the  procuring  of 
those  supplies  of  food  from  a  distance,  such  as  pork,  &c.,  which 
would  be  needed  for  some  months  to  come,  had  to  be  attended 
to  about  this  time. 

Our  school  teacher  was  a  stranger,  who  had  been  with  us  but 
a  few  days.  I  had  not  long  been  absent  before  one  of  our 
hired  men  ran  away;  another,  and  also  a  hired  female,  Mrs- 
McCoy  was  compelled  to  dismiss,  on  account  of  indolence,  and 
the  school  teacher  was  discharged  on  account  of  drunkenness. 
Our  Indian  boys,  in  order  to  heap  contempt  upon  him,  without 
the  knowledge  of  Mrs.  McCoy,  painted  their  faces,  and  took 
sticks,  which  they  handled  as  £uns,  and  employed  an  old  tin 
vessel  for  a  drum,  and  an  old  candlestick  for  a  drumstick,  and 
surrounded  the  room  of  their  wretched  schoolmaster,  drumming 
and  dancing  in  Indjan  style.  They  wished  to  be  understood 
that  their  contempt  for  him  was  in  proportion  to  the  indignity 
which  they  believed  he  had  offered  to  an  institution  which  they 
were  bound  to  respect. 

Some  time  before  1  left  home,  we  had  heard  that  the  board 
of  missions  had  appointed  a  Mr..  Clyde,  as  a  missionary  to  be 
associated  with  us.  He  had  a  wife  and  two  small  children.  He 
was  not  a  preacher,  but  was  a  man  of  good  sense.  He  was 
nearly  fifty  years  of  age,  and  was  only  about  two  years  from 
Scotland ;  by  trade  a  weaver,  with  a  very  imperfect  idea  of  the 
condition  of  a  missionary  to  the  Indians.  I  had  heard  of  his 
approach,  and  had  sent  a  man  to  meet  him,  with  horses,  to 
assist  him  in  coming  through  the  wilderness.  But  he  had  not 
arrived  when  I  left  ;,  I  met  him  in  the  wilderness. 

While  I  cast  no  reflection  upon  Mr.  Clyde,  as  not  possess 
ing  a  disposition  to  render  service  to  the  missionary  cause,  hon 
esty  compels  me  to  say  that  such  had  been  his  habits  of  life, 
that,  while  he  remained  on  missionary  ground,  he  was  not  of 
any  perceivable  advantage ;  and  such  was  his  age,  that  future 
16 


122 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


usefulness  could  not  be  hoped  for.  His  own  good  sense  con 
vinced  him  of  this;  and  after  remaining  at  the  station  a  few 
months,  he  prudently  retired  from  missionary  service.  Before 
he  left,  we  mutually  exchanged  certificates,  that  as  we  had  lived 
together  in  harmony,  so  we  parted  in  peace.  The  following  is 
a  copy  of  Mr.  Clyde's  letter  of  resignation  to  the  board : 

"  Fort  Wayne,  April  15,  1822. 

"  DEAR  BROTHER  :  The  object  of  my  becoming  your  mis 
sionary  was,  that  I  might  thereby  aid  in  ameliorating  the  con 
dition  of  the  Indians.  My  desires  to  be  useful  in  this  business 
have  not  abated.  But,  after  an  experience  of  more  than  five 
months,  I  have  come  to  a  settled  conclusion  that,  owing  to  the 
present,  and  the  prospect  in  relation  to  the  future  situation  of 
my  family,  it  would  be  most  serviceable  to  the  mission  for  me 
to  retire  from  the  service  of  the  board. 

"  It  is  expected  that  the  mission  will  shortly  remove  further 
into  the  wilderness.  This  circumstance  has  a  discouraging 
effect  on  the  mind  of  my  wife,  notwithstanding  she  is  as  desi 
rous  to  be  useful  to  her  suffering  fellow-beings  as  ever  she  was. 

"  Having  taken  all  these  things  into  consideration,  and  believ 
ing  it  to  be  the  duty  of  the  servants  of  the  board  to  accept  of 
their  patronage  no  longer  than  they  can  be  useful,  I  humbly  beg 
leave  to  tender  to  the  board  of  missions  this  my  resignation, 
accompanied  with  grateful  acknowledgments  for  their  generosity 
and  kindness. 

"  As  preparation  is  making  to  locate  the  mission  among  the 
Putawatomies,  and  it  is  therefore  important  for  brother  McCoy 
to  know  who  will  certainly  accompany  him,  as  the  season  most 
favourable  for  my  providing  for  my  family  will  soon  be  past, 
and  as  the  situation  of  my  family  renders  a  settled  home  indis 
pensable,  I  hope  it  will  not  be  considered  premature  for  me  to 
return  to  Ohio  by  the  first  conveyance. 

"  I  trust  that  my  resignation  will  not  be  a  matter  of  discour 
agement  to  the  board,  nor  to  any  who  may  feel  disposed  to 
serve  them,  and  whose  circumstances  will  enable  them  to  be 
useful.  1  am  more  and  more  convinced  of  the  duty  of  Chris 
tians  to  endeavour  to  reform  these  exceedingly  depraved  and 
wretched  people,  and  experience  has  taught  me  the  pressing 
necessity  which  calls  for  more  missionaries  at  the  station.  I  am 
well  satisfied  with  the  qualifications  of  brother  and  sister  McCoy 
for  the  stations  they  fill;  but  what  can  two  or  three  missionaries 
do  in  a  work  like  this?  Nothing  short  of  a  conviction  that  I 
could  not  strengthen  their  hands  could  induce  me  to  leave  thi.« 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


123 


brother  and  sister,  with  whom  I  could  live  on  amicable  terms, 
•or  to  quit  a  field  which,  with  all  my  heart,  I  wish  to  he  culti 
vated. 

"  Your  communications  to  me  please  to  direct  to  brother 
McCoy.  Trusting  that  the  board  will  have  the  goodness  to 
accept  my  resignation,  I  remain  their  humble  servant, 

"  PETER  CLYDE. 
«  Rev.  Dr.  Staughton,  Cor.  See.,  fyc." 

I  made  my  journey  to  Philadelphia  on  horseback,  and  reached 
the  city  the  1st  of  January,  1822.  Dr.  Staughton  and  other 
members  of  the  acting  board  had  gone  to  Washington  City,  to 
attend  the  opening  of  the  Columbian  College.  1  could  there 
fore  do  no  better  than  to  proceed  to  that  place,  which  1  did, 
without  delay.  By  agreement  with  Mr.  Sears,  of  whom  men 
tion  has  been  made,  he  met  me  in  Philadelphia,  with  the  design 
of  applying  to  the  board  of  missions  for  an  appointment  to  mis 
sionary  service.  We  hired  a  carriage,  and,  fastening  my  horse 
thereto,  we  rode  together  to  Washington,  and  back  to  Philadel 
phia. 

On  the  7th  of  January  the  board  of  missions  favoured  me 
with  an  audience.  They  cordially  approved  the  plans  which  I 
proposed  for  future  operations.  These  plans  contemplated  the 
establishment  of  three  missionary  stations :  one  among  the  Puta- 
watomies,  one  among  the  Ottawas,and  one  among  the  Miamies; 
in  support  of  each  of  which  we  hoped  to  obtain  some  aid  from 
Government,  by  virtue  of  treaty  stipulations.  The  board  also 
vested  me  with  authority  to  select  missionaries  for  our  several 
contemplated  stations,  and  such  other  assistants  as  should  be 
necessary,  to  employ  agents  to  make  collections  for  the  mission, 
or  to  perform  other  services  which  might  be  necessary,  and  to 
allow  them  such  compensation  as  I  deemed  expedient,  and  in 
general  to  obtain  such  aid  from  the  public  and  from  Govern 
ment  as  might  be  practicable.  They  voted  five  hundred  dollars, 
to  aid  in  the  erection  of  a  mission  house  among  the  Putawato- 
mies.  They  directed  me  to  leave  Fort  Wrayne  whenever  I 
should  deem  it  expedient.  In  the  rninutia3  of  our  operations 
their  views  also  harmonized  with  my  wishes;  so  that  I  felt 
thankful  to  the  Lord,  and  strongly  united  to  them  in  affection. 

For  some  months  previous  to  this  time,  I  had  corresponded 
with  Mr.  Giles  Jackson,  of  Ohio,  on  the  subject  of  his  becoming 
a  missionary.  On  my  way  to  Philadelphia  1  called  on  him, 
and  we  carne  to  an  understanding  on  the  subject.  I  carried 
with  me  his  written  application  to  the  board  of  missions  for  an 


124 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


appointment  to  missionary  labours,  and  at  the  meeting  under 
consideration  the  board  cheerfully  made  the  appointment  soli 
cited.  The  board  also  resolved  that  it  was  expedient  for  me  to 
lay  our  plans  before  the  Secretary  of  War,  so  far  as  would  be 
necessary  in  soliciting  aid  from  Government,  and  appointed 
some  of  their  number  to  accompany  me  when  1  should  visit 
that  officer.  On  the  10th  of  January,  in  company  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Allison,  Rev.  Luther  Rice,  and  Hon.  Richard  M.  Johnson, 
member  of  Congress,  a  call  was  made  upon  Hon.  John  C.  Cal- 
houn.  Secretary  of  War.  The  treaty  of  Chicago  had  not  at 
that  time  been  ratified.  The  Secretary  of  War  heard  our 
requests  with  kind  feelings,  and  declared  his  readiness  to  grant 
them,  so  far  as  should  be  consistent  with  the  stipulations  of  the 
treaty,  when  it  should  come  before  him,  and  with  other  laws,  by 
which  he  must  be  governed.  In  our  prayer  to  the  Secretary  of 
War,  we  requested  that  Mr.  Jackson  should  be  appointed  black* 
smith  for  the  Putawatomies,  and  Mr.  Sears  teacher  for  the  Olta- 
was ;  and  I  also  solicited  permission  to  recommend  to  him 
others,  subsequently,  to  fill  the  remaining  situations  provided  by 
the  treaty  of  Chicago, 

By  a  treaty  provision,  mills  had  been  erected  for  the  Miamies, 
•and  they  were  entitled  to  a  miller.  This  subject  was  also  sub- 
milted  to  the  consideration  of  the  Secretary  of  War.  Subse 
quently  the  appointing  power  gave  me  leave  to  nominate  a  man 
to  attend  to  the  mills,  whose  salary  would  be  four  or  five  hun 
dred  dollars  a  year,  which  would  be  that  much  towards  the 
support  of  a  missionary  station,  which  we  desired  to  establish 
tipon  that  ground,  because  this  man  might  be  a  missionary,  and 
bis  situation  would  be  favourable  for  doing  much  good  among 
the  Miamies,  in  things  both  temporal  and  spiritual.  But,  alns ! 
I  was  never  able  to  find  a  man  suitably  qualified,  and  willing  to 
labour  as  a  missionary  for  that  tribe.  Most  of  the  tribe  conti 
nue  on  the  same  ground  to  this  present  time,  in  wretched  con 
dition,  and  constantly  diminishing  in  number.  It  is  now  too 
late  to  help  them  in  that  place,  xvhere  they  are  closely  hemmed 
in  on  every  side  by  white  population,  and  are  subject  to  the 
wasting  influence  of  the  causes  which  have  injured  all  tribes 
surrounded  by  white  people.  Their  recovery  can  only  be  hoped 
for  by  their  removal,  and  by  vigorous  humane  efforts  for  their 
relief.  The  tribe  was  once  powerful,  but  it  is  now  feeble ;  a 
few  are  located  in  the  Indian  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi. 
Possibly  this  western  settlement  may  prove  to  be  a  germe  from 
which  the  tribe  may  again  thrive,  and  outlive  its  present  wretch 
edness. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


125 


On  the  17th  of  January,  1821,  Mr.  Sears  was  appointed  by 
the  board  to  unite  with  us  at  our  mission.  The  success  which 
attended  my  visit  to  Philadelphia  and  Washington  was  such 
as  to  call  forth  devout  thankfulness  to  God.  My  expectations 
were  exceeded.  After  preaching  for  the  Rev.  Mr.  McLaugh- 
lin,  one  of  the  vice  presidents  of  the  board,  he  said,  "  Go 
on  in  your  work  among  the  Indians,  and  we  will  bear  you 
through,  if  possible.  Should  you  be  in  want  of  more  funds  than 
we  have  voted  you,  write  to  us  accordingly,  and  in  the  fear  of 
the  Lord,  I  pledge  you  my  word,  we  will  help  you  if  possi 
ble."  Also,  Dr.  Staughton  used  similar  language  for  my  en 
couragement.  Nor  were  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ashton  and  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Peckworth  less  kind. 

While  I  was  not  a  little  consoled  by  the  evidence  of  kind 
feelings  on  the  part  of  the  board,  which  were  truly  honour 
able  to  their  hearts,  I  discovered  a  fact  equally  plain,  which 
gave  me  much  anxiety ;  to  wit,  that  my  own  responsibili 
ties  in  the  management  of  affairs  were  not  likely  to  be  dimin 
ished. 

I  left  Philadelphia  on  horseback,  the  21st  of  January,  and 
reached  our  place  at  Fort  Wayne  the  16th  of  February. 
For  four  or  five  days  before  I  reached  home  I  was  so  unwell  as 
to  be  scarcely  able  to  travel.  Still,  I  had  great  reason  to  be 
thankful  that  I  had  been  so  well  preserved  in  health,  on  a  ride 
of  more  than  seventeen  hundred  miles  in  the  winter. 

It  is  now  in  order  for  me  to  tell  of  the  severest  trial  that  I 
have  ever  experienced  in  my  pilgrimage;  in  doing  which,  I 
shall  copy  from  my  journal : 

"  When  about  five  miles  from  home,  I  received  the  distressing 
intelligence  that,  two  days  before,  a  Putawatomie  Indian  had 
almost  murdered  one  of  our  little  daughters,  about  nine  years  of 
age.  She  and  two  of  our  Indian  girls,  larger  than  she,  went  on 
an  errand  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  house,  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  way  in  full  view  from  the  house,  when  three 
Indians  appeared  at  a  little  distance  from  them,  one  of  whom 
made  towards  the  largest  Indian  girl.  The  children  fled  for 
their  lives.  Our  daughter  being  the  least,  and  being  more 
affected  by  the  fright  than  the  others,  and  accidentally  falling  as 
she  ascended  the  river  bank,  was  left  in  the  rear,  and  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  savage.  He  choked  her  until  she  was  on  the 
point  of  expiring.  The  Indian  girls  alarmed  the  family.  Her 
distressed  mother,  and  many  others,  hastened  to  her  relief.  Mr. 
Edmund  Liston,^  young  man  hired  to  labour,  and  Mungosa,  one 
of  our  JVliamie  lads,  first  reached  the  place  of  the  horrid  scene$ 


126 


HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 


which  was  just  as  the  child  apparently  was  struggling  in  the 
agonies  of  death,  and  still  in  the  grasp  of  the  monster.  He 
fled,  and  they  pursued  him,  while  the  other  two  Indians  fol 
lowed  close  in  their  rear.  Liston  soon  overtook  him,  and 
knocked  him  down  with  a  club,  and  beat  him  severely.  Mun- 
gosa,  on  coming  up,  drew  his  knife,  and  would  have  despatched 
him,  but  was  prevented  by  Liston. 

"  The  mother,  and  many  others  of  our  family,  reached  the 
child  before  she  could  breathe.  The  blood  was  issuing  from  her 
neck,  mouth,  and  nose,  with  a  considerable  quantity  of  sand  and 
earth  in  her  mouth.  The  feelings  of  her  mother  can  be  more 
easily  conceived  than  described.  The  design  of  the  Indian  was 
of  the  basest  kind,  but  happily  the  child  was  not  injured  beyond 
what  we  mention  in  this  place.  Her  neck  was  gashed  with  the 
monster's  nails,  and  her  lungs  were  injured  by  violent  exertion 
for  breath.  Her  eyes  and  face  soon  swelled  frightfully.  But 
she  recovered. 

"  The  Indian  was  tied,  but  as  the  agent  was  absent,  the  inter 
preter  advised  that  he  be  set  at  liberty  until  the  agent  should 
return.  The  agent  was  in  company  with  me,  and  before  we 
arrived  the  Indian  had  left  the  neighbourhood.  On  this  occa 
sion  most  of  the  Indian  children  of  our  family  united  with  my 
own  in  weeping  most  bitterly.  To  Mrs.  McCoy  the  circum 
stance  was  the  more  trying  on  account  of  my  absence. 

"  This  circumstance  puts  our  missionary  zeal  to  the  test.  O, 
how  hard  it  is  to  regard  a  people  affectionately,  who,  while  we 
are  toiling  and  suffering  solely  for  their  benefit,  and  not  our  own, 
thus  cruelly  requite  us.  I  have  quitted  the  society  of  relatives,  and 
many  desirable  Christian  privileges,  with  a  degree  of  cheerful 
ness  ;  I  have  spent  many  days  and  nights  at  a  time  in  the  wil 
derness,  without  seeing  the  face  of  a  white  man,  and  was  con 
tent  with  the  company  and  fare  of  the  natives  ;  I  have  repeatedly 
slept  on  the  ground,  under  falls  of  rain  and  of  snow,  without 
much  depression  of  spirit ;  I  have  seen  the  native  struggling 
in  the  agonies  of  death,  occasioned  by  the  murderous  hand  of 
his  fellow,  and  have  assisted  in  burying  the  murdered,  and  found 
my  desires  for  the  salvation  of  the  surviving  enlarged,  and  my 
zeal  in  the  work  of  reformation  increased  ;  from  hands  which 
laid  hold  on  me  in  the  wilderness,  to  deprive  me  of  life, 
I  have  escaped,  with  resolution  to  persevere  in  my  efforts  to 
teach  them  better  things.  But,  alas !  this  abuse  of  my  dear 
little  daughter,  who  could  not  provoke  insult,  and  her  narrow 
escape  from  greater  injury,  has  taught  me  a  lesson  of  human 
frailty  which  I  had  not  previously  learned  by  experience.  This 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


i27 


tale  of  wo,  connected  with  an  account  of  the  screams  of  the 
affrighted  child,  of  the  tears  running  over  more  than  forty  faces 
of  our  family,  of  the  anguish  of  a  mother,  aggravated  by  many 
local  considerations,  together  with  the  subsequent  artless  excla 
mations  of  the  child — '  O,  he  hurt  me  so  much  !'  bore  down 
my  spirits  and  deprived  me  of  resolution.  I  was  sinking, 
when  the  everlasting  arms  underneath  prevented  my  fall. 
Should  I  endure  to  the  end,  let  God  have  all  the  praise. 

"  By  the  failure  of  my  horse  I  had  been  prevented  from  reach 
ing  home  before  this  atrocity.  I  deeply  regretted  the  hin- 
derance  at  the  time,  but  it  was  not  longer  after  I  reached  home 
than  I  recovered  cool  reflection  before  1  viewed  it  as  a  great 
mercy  that  I  had  been  detained.  Had  I  been  at  home,  it  is 
probable  that  I  should  not  have  observed  that  discretion  which 
comported  with  the  interests  of  the  mission,  and  which  would 
have  promoted  my  happiness  in  future.  I  am  under  obligations 
to  Mr.  B.  B.  Kerchevall,  United  States'  Indian  agent,  who 
resides  in  the  fort,  who,  though  not  a  professor  of  religion,  acted 
the  part  of  a  Christian  towards  me  upon  this  trying  and  tempt 
ing  occasion.  He  embraced  an  early  opportunity  of  reminding 
me  of  the  sacrifices  which  my  wife  and  I  had  made,  and  the 
interest  we  had  taken  in  the  mission  cause ;  and  said  the  appre 
hension  and  punishment  of  the  Indian,  by  the  laws  of  the  United 
States,  or  in  any  other  manner,  would  make  such  an  unfavour 
able  impression  upon  the  minds  of  these  rude  barbarians,  unac 
customed  to  this  mode  of  avenging  wrongs,  that  our  prospects 
of  usefulness  among  them  would  be  at  an  end.  We  concluded 
to  leave  vengeance  to  Him  to  whom  alone  it  belongs,  and  re 
flected  that  we  should  not  regard  even  life  itself,  should  we  be 
called  to  sacrifice  it  in  the  work  upon  which  we  have  entered." 

About  two  months  after  this,  Mungosa,  the  Miamie  young 
man  mentioned  in  the  preceding  narrative,  in  company  with 
another  Miamie  youth  belonging  to  our  school,  entered  my  room 
considerably  agitated,  and  delivered  me  a  message,  which,  through 
others,  came  from  the  murderous  Indian  of  whom  we  have  been 
speaking,  which  was  as  follows  :  "  I  am  here  encamped,  [within 
two  miles  of  the  mission  house ;]  if  you  wish  to  avenge  the 
injury  I  have  done  you,  you  will  find  me  here."  He  stated  to 
his  people  that  he  expected  I  would  endeavour  to  kill  him  ; 
but  he  was  on  his  guard,  and  would  endeavour  to  prevent  it  by 
first  killing  me.  These  young  Miamies  were  much  provoked 
by  this  new  insult  offered  by  the  Indian,  and  manifested  a  desire 
that  I  should  accept  his  challenge  to  fight  him  ;  and  it  required 


12S 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


some  pains  to  satisfy  them  that   I   was  induced  to   decline  by 
other  considerations  than  those  of  fear. 

The  Indian  knew  that,  according  to  their  custom,  he  had 
forfeited  his  life,  and  that  I  was  the  proper  person  to  take  ven 
geance.  On  this  account,  the  first  time  that  we  should  by 
chance  have  met,  it  would  have  been  natural  for  him  to  endea 
vour,  as  he  had  said,  to  kill  me,  with  a  view  01  saving  his  own  life. 
My  business  required  me  to  be  daily  passing  and  repassing 
through  the  neighbourhood,  generally  alone,  and  always  un 
armed  ;  and  of  my  danger,  under  those  circumstances,  I  was  not 
ignorant.  But  Providence,  to  whom  we  had  committed  the 
matter,  disposed  of  it  in  a  way  unexpected  to  us,  He  had 
remained  about  his  encampment  in  this  menacing  attitude  a 
few  days,  when,  in  a  frolic  of  drunkenness,  one  of  his  own  as 
sociates  murdered  him.-  The  murderer  himself  was  instantly 
shot  to  death  by  a  third  person  of  their  party. 

In  my  late  absence,  Mrs.  McCoy  had  received  a  large  drove 
of  swine  from  the  State  of  Indiana,  and  some  cattle  from  the 
State  of  Ohio.  These  were  donations  to  the  mission.  For 
the  kindness  of  the  contributors  in  these  cases,  and  in  many 
cases  of  contributions  of  clothing.  &c.,  for  the  scholars,  and 
occasionally  small  sums  of  money,  we  were  taught  by  many 
weighty  considerations  to  be  thankful  to  God  and  to  them. 
These  donations  of  live  stock  were  the  more  gratifying  to  us, 
because  they  were  made  in  places  where  some  of  those  mis 
guided  ministers  and  others,  whose  names  need  not  be  remem 
bered  except  as  they  claim  our  pity,  were  opposing  missions 
with  a  zeal  worthy  of  a  good  cause. 

I  was  so  unwell  on  my  return  home,  that  it  was  eight  days 
before  I  was  able  to  preach.  At  this  time  we  were  made  glad 
by  hearing,  from  different  sources,  that  two  men  in  Kentucky, 
and  one  in  Indiana,  would  probably  consent  to  unite  with  us 
in  missionary  labours.  We  continued  for  some  time  our  cor 
respondence  on  these  subjects,  but  all  ended  in  disappointment. 

Studies  in  school,  which  had  for  some  time  been  suspended 
for  want  of  a  teacher,  were  resumed  on  the  4th  of  March,  but 
without  a  permanent  instructer.  On  the  18th,  Mr.  Johnston 
Lykins,  who  had  arrived  on  the  llth,  took  charge  of  the  school, 
with  the  view  of  continuing  until  we  should  find  a  missionary 
to  fill  the  place. 

During  the  suspensions  of  the  school,  which  happened  at 
various  times,  the  Indian  children  committed  to  our  care  were 
not  allowed  to  be  idle.  In  taming  the  wild  man,  we  conceived 
that  instruction  in  manual  labour  was  as  necessary  as  instruction 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


in  letters.  Under  these  views,  both  the  males  and  the  females 
were  invariably  employed  in  their  appropriate  spheres,  in  the 
house  and  in  the  field,  at  all  times  when  circumstances  justi 
fied  it. 

Mr.  Kerchevall,  who  was  at  this  time  Indian  agent,  nobly 
encouraged  the  Indians  to  adopt  the  habits  of  civilized  life,  and 
among  some  of  them  were,  indeed,  favourable  indications  in  this 
respect.  A  band  of  seven  families,  resident  at  the  forks  of 
W abash  river,  who  had  previously  fenced  in  a  large  field,  re 
solved  on  the  erection  of  six  more  log  dwellings,  and  the  appli 
cation  of  $600,  out  of  an  annuity  of  $800,  for  this  purpose, 
and  for  the  purchase  of  live  stock.  Others  of  the  Miamies 
seemed  determined  on  keeping  cattle,  hogs,  &c.,  and  were 
improving  their  lands  promisingly. 

To  provide  early  for  the  settlement  in  business  of  Indian  youths 
improved  in  schools,  so  that  they  should  not,  as  has  too  often 
been  the  case,  return  to  wild  or  wicked  habits,  has  long  been  a 
desideratum  in  the  work  of  Indian  reform,  and  one  that  has 
contributed  not  a  little  to  promote  the  design  of  colonizing  the 
Indians  in  what  we  now  term  the  Indian  Territory.  It  has 
often  happened  that  promising  Indian  youths,  whom  the  mis 
sionaries  had  rescued  from  wretchedness,  and  had  instructed 
with  solicitude,  as  soon  as  they  became  capable  of  being  useful 
to  others,  and  when  they  had  arrived  at  the  age  in  which  they 
most  needed  a  guardian  to  fix  their  habits  for  life  to  come,  have 
been  enticed,  by  the  promise  of  pleasure  or  reward,  to  leave 
the  institutions  which  had  been  established  for  their  benefit.  A 
strong  temptation  of  this  kind  was  thrown  out  to  one  of  our 
Putawatomie  young  men,  the  fore  part  of  March.  He  informed 
me  that  an  Indian  trader  (a  white  man)  had,  for  some  time, 
been  incessantly  persuading  him  to  leave  our  institution,  and  to 
engage  as  a  clerk  with  him.  The  young  man  came  to  me  for 
advice,  but  apparently  much  inclined  to  leave.  He  listened 
respectfully  to  my  advice  and  reasoning,  and  resumed  his  stu 
dies  with  cheerfulness. 

March  the  8th,  we  put  our  loom  into  operation,  and  began 
to  make  cloth,  which,  from  first  to  last,  was  manufactured  at  the 
establishment,  the  yarn  having  been  spun  by  our  Indian  girls. 
None  among  the  tribes  by  whom  we  were  surrounded  had 
adopted  the  practice  of  spinning  and  weaving. 

Excessive  application  to  business  prolonged  my  poor  health 
many  weeks  after  my  return  from  Philadelphia.  Notwithstand 
ing  we  had  more  business  at  the  establishment  than  we  could 
both  manage  to  advantage,  either  my  wife  or  I  had  to  be  much 

17 


(30 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


of  the  time  absent.  On  the  30th  of  March  she  set  out  upon  a 
journey  through  the  wilderness  to  Ohio,  on  horseback ;  from 
which  she  returned  on  the  7th  of  April,  having  been  compelled 
to  encamp  in  the  wilderness  the  preceding  night,  with  her  infant 
at  the  breast,  which  had  been  sick  during  her  absence. 

April  the  4th,  we  were  visited  by  a  Miamie  chief  of  the  Mas- 
sassinawa  band,  named  Charley,  who  at  that  time  seemed  to  be 
determined  to  adopt  habits  of  civilization,  notwithstanding  the 
opposition  of  many  worthless  fellows  belonging  to  his  party. 
He  had  left  his  former  village,  and  had  settled  a  few  miles  offr 
where  he  intended  to  make  a  farm,  and  had  now  come  to  see 
the  agent,  in  order  to  procure  farming  utensils,  and  to  hire  men 
to  labour  for  him.  On  learning  that  I  intended  to  locate  myself 
among  the  Putawatomies,  the  Miarnies  were  not  altogether  satis 
fied.  I  found  it  necessary  now  to  inform  Charley,  that  notwith 
standing  my  family  would  go  to  reside  among  the  Putawatomies, 
the  Miamies  should  not  be  neglected  ;  that,  if  practicable,  a 
mission  should  be  located  in  that  tribe,  at  a  place  which  they 
might  deem  suitable,  in  which  their  children  should  continue  to 
receive  instruction,  and  from  which  other  benefits  might  be  de 
rived  ;  I  was  happy  to  hear  that  they  were  improving  their 
lands,  and  purchasing  stock ;  they  were  now  on  the  road  to 
happiness,  fee.  Accompanied  by  the  agent,  I  took  him  into  the 
school,  and  to  see  our  loom ;  after  which  he  spoke  as  follows: 

"  My  father,  you  spoke  to  me  just  now  as  we  were  seated  on 
the  grass.  A  good  man's  words  are  always  true,  whether  we 
hear  them  without  or  within  a  house.  You  have  brought  me 
into  your  house,  and  t  now  discover  with  my  own  eyes  that 
your  words  are  true  ;  I  see  that  of  which  I  had  formerly  only 
heard.  I  see  the  children  here  doing  well,  and  learning  that 
which  will  make  them  respectable,  and  do  them  much  good.  I 
have  two  children,  whom  I  will  bring  to  the  school  as  soon  as  1 
shall  have  planted  corn,  and  I  will  encourage  my  people  also  to 
come  into  these  measures." 

About  this  time,  the  board  was  disposed  to  appoint  a  Baptist 
minister  in  Indiana,,  to  unite  with  us  in  missionary  labours.  I 
opened  a  correspondence  with  him,  and  with  others,  respecting 
the  probability  of  his  consenting  to  endure  such  privations  as 
attended  our  labours,  and  which  he  could  not  well  anticipate ; 
the  result  of  which  was  to  bring  me  under  the  painful  necessity 
to  advise  him  to  decline  the  undertaking. 


INDIAN  MlSSlONStllf  l 

f>tt> 

CHAPTER  V. 

t 

Lamentable  death  of  an  Indian  woman.  Arrival  of  a  mis 
sionary.  Modes  of  burial.  Ceremony  of  adoption.  Tour 
among  the  Putawatomies.  A.  suffering  mother  and  infant. 
Dreadful  effects  of  intemperance.  Baptism  of  Mr.  Lykins. 
He  is  appointed  a  missionary.  Temperance  Society.  Jour 
ney  to  Detroit.  Appointments  from  Government.  Disin 
terestedness  of  the  missionaries.  Arrival  of  missionaries. 
Church  constituted.  Severe,  sickness  of  the  mission  family. 
Death.  Arrival  of  a  missionary. 

irti  • 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1822,  four  of  our  Putawatomie 
pupils,  who  had  been  absent  through  the  winter,  returned, 
ragged  and  wretched  enough.  They  informed  me  that  their 
grandmother,  an  aged  woman,  was  lying  at  a  camp  a  little  dis 
tance  from  our  house,  at  the  point  of  dying.  In  the  afternoon 
we  were  informed  that  the  old  woman  was  dead.  Two  young 
men,  who  were  her  grandsons,  intimated  to  me,  through  the 
medium  of  some  of  their  relatives  belonging  to  our  family,  a 
wish  that  I  would  assist  in  burying  her,  and  appeared  to  be  very 
thankful  when  I  consented.  My  wife  and  1  walked  to  their 
camp,  where  we  found  the  corpse  lying  on  the  ground,  wrapped 
m  an  old  blanket.  In  this  place  and  position  the  old  woman 
had  lain  several  days  before  her  death,  as  we  discovered  by  the 
whitish  appearance  of  the  grass  underneath  her.  It  had  been 
raining,  and  sometimes  snowing,  for  several  days,  and  the  earth 
was  very  full  of  water;  to  all  which  she  had  been  exposed, 
without  even  a  tent  or  a  piece  of  bark  to  shelter  her  from  the 
storm  from  above,  or  to  save  her  from  the  water  beneath.  The 
few  rags  which  had  served  for  her  clothing  were  filthy  in  the 
extreme,  and  under  and  about  her  were  vermin,  such  as  might 
be  seen  about  a  putrid  carcass  that  had  lain  some  days  on  the 
earth.  The  sight  was  shocking,  and  was  rendered  more  so  on 
account  of  the  depravity  and  insensibility  of  her  children  and 
grandchildren  who  were  about  the  place.  The  whole  company 
exhibited  a  scene  of  poverty,  wretchedness,  and  wickedness, 
which  scarcely  could  be  found  among  any  other  people  in  the 
world  besides  these  miserable  Indians.  Near  the  corpse  were  a 
man  and  two  women  drunk  ;  several  others  were  in  but  little 
better  condition.  A  few  were  sober,  and  appeared  solemn. 
All  were  destitute  of  any  shelter,  excepting  a  piece  of  a  tent- 


132 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


cloth  which  partially  covered  two  or  three  of  them.  The  wind 
was  high  and  cold,  yet  they  had  not  more  fire  than  would  have 
laid  upon  a  common  fire-shovel.  All  their  clothing,  bedding, 
cooking  vessels,  and  furniture  of  every  description,  would  not 
have  constituted  a  back  load  for  one  of  them.  Not  a  particle 
of  food  was  to  be  seen  about  the  camp,  except  a  piece  of  a  dog 
which  they  had  butchered  on  that  morning,  and  which  was 
hanging  on  the  limb  of  a  tree.  In  dressing  the  animal  they 
had  not  skinned  it,  but  had  singed  off  the  hair  in  the  fire. 

For  our  comfort  we  gathered  a  few  sticks  and  kindled  a  fire. 
At  my  request,  one  showed  me  the  place  where  they  wished  the 
grave  to  be  dug.  Their  apology  for  troubling  us  was,  that  "  they 
had  no  implements  with  which  to  make  a  hole  in  the  ground." 
In  order  to  convey  the  corpse  to  the  grave,  they  placed  on  it  a 
pole  extending  a  little  beyond  the  head  and  the  feet,  and  with 
leather  strings  tied  it  fast  to  the  pole  in  several  places.  A  short 
pole  was  next  placed  across  the  stomach,  between  the  body  and 
the  first  pole.  Four  men  then  took  hold,  one  on  each  end  of 
the  two  poles,  and  carried  this  wretched  female  to  the  grave. 
When  the  corpse  had  been  placed  in  the  grave,  one  of  them 
put  a  piece  of  tobacco  at  the  head,  and  pronounced  the  follow 
ing  valediction  : — "  Grandmother,  you  have  lived  long  enough; 
you  have  now  died,  and  left  all  your  children.  Grandmother, 
I  give  you  a  piece  of  tobacco  to  smoke,  that  you  may  rest 
quietly  in  your  grave,  and  not  disturb  us  who  are  alive.  This 
is  all  that  I  have  to  give  you  ;  we  will  all  smoke  for  you.  Our 
father  (alluding  to  myself)  will  take  care  of  your  grandchildren. 
Grandmother,  I  now  bid  you  farewell.'* 

We  then  placed  boards  over  the  corpse,  and  filled  the  grave, 
after  which  they  built  a  fire  at  the  head  and  another  at  the  foot. 
This  done,  all  retired  to  their  camp  to  conclude  the  funeral  cer 
emonies,  by  smoking  and  by  drinking  whiskey.  O,  sin,  what 
hast  thou  done  ! 

April  the  17th,  Mrs.  McCoy  received  an  interesting  visit 
from  two  Miatnie  women,  who  manifested  much  interest  in  the 
operations  of  the  loom.  One  of  them  got  into  it,  and  made  a 
trial  at  throwing  the  shuttle.  One  of  them,  who  was  a  widow, 
stated  that  it  was  her  husband's  request,  when  on  his  deathbed, 
that  his  children  should  be  placed  in  our  institution.  His  dying 
request,  however,  was  not  long  regarded. 

Apekauneah,  a  Putawatonrn'e  lad  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  a 
relation  of  the  poor  old  woman  whose  funeral  we  had  not  long 
before  attended,  lingered  about  our  house  a  week,  frequently 
intimating  a  wish  to  come  and  live  with  us.  At  length  he  came 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


133 


out  plainly,  and  made  his  request  to  become  a  member  of  our 
family.  He  pleaded  that  the  Indians  were  exceedingly  poor; 
he  would  be  a  good  boy,  would  obey  me  in  all  things,  and  his 
father  would  by  and  by  bring  me  venison,  &c.  I  listened  to 
his  affecting  tale,  and  granted  his  request  without  asking  a  ques 
tion.  For  his  improvement,  in  appearance  at  least,  he  went  to 
the  river,  and  in  a  few  minutes  returned,  dressed  in  a  suit  with 
which  we  had  presented  him,  much  elated  with  his  good  fortune, 
and  the  better  pleased  because  our  other  Indian  boys  conferred 
on  him  the  name  of  Isaac  McCoy. 

Some  of  the  few  white  people  about  Fort  Wayne  were 
French  Catholics.  These  were  visited  by  three  priests,  who 
came  to  administer  the  sacrament,  &c.  On  Sunday,  the  21st 
of  April,  after  worship  at  our  house,  I  took  our  family,  including 
our  Indian  pupils,  to  their  meeting,  and  heard  one  of  them 
preach.  His  subject  was  Baptism,  and  his  discourse  was 
mainly  directed  against  Baptist  sentiments.  I  soon  became 
convinced  that  his  design  was  to  provoke  altercation  with  me, 
which  he  might,  through  the  Catholics  mingling  with  the  In 
dians,  turn  to  the  disadvantage  of  our  mission.  I  had  been  ad 
monished  by  their  prejudices,  soon  after  I  became  a  missionary, 
to  be  ever  on  the  alert  in  regard  to  them.  I  felt  a  little  restless 
within  hearing  of  his  sophistry,  the  absurdity  of  which  was 
glaring;  but  I  was  sensible  that  it  could  affect  no  one  present, 
either  for  the  better  or  the  worse,  except  myself.  I  had  long 
expected  that  the  Catholics  would  one  day  attempt  to  blow 
up  a  storm  against  us,  and  I  had  accordingly  endeavoured  to 
fortify  my  habitation.  I  now  deemed  that  I  saw  the  cloud 
arising,  and  I  determined  to  keep  the  door  of  my  mouth  shut, 
and  to  attend  to  my  own  business.  It  happened  that  our  white 
neighbours  about  Fort  Wayne  were  exceedingly  affectionate 
and  friendly  towards  us ;  and  iti  the  attentions  bestowed  on  the 
priests,  the  few  days  that  they  remained  at  our  place,  we  were 
frequently  invited  to  participate.  This  afforded  them  an  oppor 
tunity  of  discovering  that  I  would  not  be  otherwise  than  friendly; 
and  if  my  conjecture  respecting  their  design  was  correct,  it  was 
entirely  frustrated.  At  our  request,  they  visited  our  school  and 
drank  tea  with  us. 

Among  other  things  which  were  for  our  encouragement  about 
this  time,  was  the  following.  In  1818,  I  met  at  the  Silver 
Creek  Baptist  Association,  in  Indiana,  a  certain  minister  of  that 
State,  who  violently  opposed  all  our  missionary  operations,  and, 
as  I  thought,  needlessly  provoked  altercation,  not  to  say  strife. 
He  was  marshal  of  the  State,  and,  in  discharge  of  official  duties, 


134  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

visited  Fort  Wayne  in  182*2.  While  there,  our  house  was  his 
home.  1  took  pains  to  make  him  fairly  acquainted  with  the 
institution,  but  neither  of  us  disturbed  the  old  question  which 
we  had  once  too  warmly  debated,  respecting  the  propriety 
of  missions.  On  his  return  home,  he  wrote  to  Col.  Richard 
M.  Johnson,  a  member  of  Congress,  highly  commendatory  of 
the  mission,  its  prospects,  &c.  This  letter  was  published  in 
various  newspapers,  and  no  doubt  made  an  impression  on  the 
minds  of  many,  which  resulted  in  good  to  the  mission.  On  the 
27th  of  April  we  received  a  newspaper,  in  which  the  good 
effects  of  this  letter  were  visible,  not  only  in  the  remarks  of  the 
editor,  but  in  a  statement  that  sixty  dollars  had  been  forwarded 
to  the  board,  for  the  aid  of  the  mission.  Thus  Providence  or 
dered  that  one  who  had  been  a  formidable  opposer,  after  spend 
ing  a  few  days  at  the  institution,  should  become  an  active  helper. 

On  our  journal  I  find  the  following  note  for  April  4,  1822, 
soon  after  the  departure  of  Mr.  Clyde :  "  Our  spirits  have  been 
much  depressed  for  a  few  days.  The  reflection  is  pretty  hard 
to  bear,  that  after  toiling  and  hoping  for  help  about  four  years 
and  a  half,  we  find  ourselves  alone  in  this  wilderness,  without 
another  kindred  spirit  to  sympathize  with  us.  We  mutually  pour 
our  plaint  into  each  other's  bosom,  and  look  upwards  for  relief." 
Three  days  later  we  received  intelligence  from  Mr.  Sears,  that 
two  or  three  others  in  New-York,  besides  himself,  felt  inclined 
to  become  missionaries  to  the  Indians.  This  intelligence  was 
like  a  cordial  to  our  wounded  spirits.  But  experience  had  by 
this  time  taught  us  to  rejoice  with  trembling,  when  we  heard  of 
missionaries  coming  to  our  assistance.  That  our  fears,  that 
many  who  should  enlist  in  this  service  would  soon  after  desert 
it  without  having  contributed  to  its  promotion,  were  well  found 
ed,  will  be  manifest  by  this  history  throughout. 

In  April,  Mr.  Jackson,  who  had  recently  been  appointed  by 
the  board  of  missions  to  unite  with  us,  set  out  for  our  place, 
from  Ohio.  Our  two  elder  sons,  who  were  lads  at  school  in 
Ohio,  accompanied  him.  On  the  27th,  the  younger  came  into 
our  house,  alone,  for  assistance  to  bring  in  Mr.  Jackson  and 
family,  whom  he  had  left  twelve  miles  behind,  in  the  wilder 
ness,  with  his  team  so  worn  down,  on  account  of  the  badness  of 
the  road,  that  he  was  scarcely  able  to  proceed.  On  the  follow 
ing  morning  I  took  assistance,  and  met  him  wading  on  through 
mud  and  water,  and  the  same  evening  we  had  the  happiness  to 
see  him  and  his  family  seated  in  our  house. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  not  a  minister,  but  was  a  pious,  good  man. 
He  was  expected  to  labour  as  a  blacksmith,  under  an  appoint- 


1N1MAN  MISSIONS. 


135 


ment  from  Government,  as  has  before  been  intimated.  While 
about  his  shop,  it  was  believed  he  would  have  favourable  oppor 
tunities  of  making  profitable  communications  to  the  natives; 
and  if  at  any  time  he  desired  to  labour  in  spheres  more  exclu 
sively  evangelical,  another  would  be  hired  to  perform  the  man 
ual  labour  required,  under  his  superintendence.  It  was  hoped, 
also,  that  we  should  be  able  to  impart  a  knowledge  of  this  neces 
sary  trade  to  some  Indian  youths,  and  by  this  means  contribute 
to  improve  the  condition  of  these  people. 

About  this  time  we  were  aided  by  generous  donations  of 
clothing,  &LC.,  and  sometimes  cash,  from  Kentucky,  Ohio,  Ten 
nessee,  and  other  States.  Also,  frequent  visits  from  various 
tribes  by  which  we  were  surrounded,  gave  us  evidence  of  an 
increasing  interest  being  felt  by  them  in  the  operations  of  the 
institution. 

Near  dark,  on  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  May,  an  Indian  called 
on  me,  and  desired  rne  to  visit  a  sick  friend  of  his,  at  his  camp. 
I  found  the  unhappy  man  lying  on  the  ground,  in  the  open  air, 
surrounded  by  his  party,  the  greater  part  of  whom  were  intoxi 
cated.  A  cup  of  whiskey,  which  was  near  the  head  of  the 
sick,  was  removed  at  my  request.  He  begged  of  me  to  send 
him  a  little  food,  which  I  did.  After  spending  the  night  on  the 
earth,  without  a  shelter,  he  was  brought  into  our  house  on  the 
following  morning,  through  a  rain.  Two  days  after  this  he  died. 
When  he  discovered  that  his  end  was  approaching,  he  requested 
to  be  taken  out  of  the  house,  into  the  open  air.  Those  people 
were  much  averse  to  being  within  a  house  when  they  expired. 
We  had  him  buried  as  decently  as  time  would  admit.  It  is 
their  custom  to  bury  theirdead  as  soon  as  possible.  We  were 
not  allowed  time  to  procure  a  coffin,  but  we  placed  boards  about 
the  corpse.  They  will  not  permit  their  graves  to  be  du.g  so- 
deep  as  civilized  people  usually  inter  their  dead.  Agreeably 
to  their  custom,  a  piece  of  tobacco  was  by  them  put  into  the 
grave  at  the  head.  The  countenance  of  his  wife  indicated  me 
lancholy,  and  her  sister  shed  tears.  Before  the  burial,  a  nephew 
of  the  deceased,  who  was  somewhat  intoxicated,  came  running 
and  hallooing  like  a  madman.  He  set  up  a  hideous  lamenta 
tion,  which  resembled  the  howling  of  a  wolf  more  than  the 
expressions  of  grief  of  a  bereaved  relation.  After  some  foolish 
incantations,  such  as  blowing  his  breath  into  the  nostrils  of  the 
corpse,  &c.,  he  declared  that  the  deceased  had  been  poisoned, 
and  hurried  off,  threatening  to  be  avenged  upon  the  Indian 
whom*  he  suspected  of  the  crime.  To  us  it  was  evident  that 
his  death  had  been  occasioned  by  intemperance  and  privation. 


136 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


On  the  8th  of  May,  about  midnight,  we  were  awakened  by  the 
singing  of  a  brother  of  the  deceased,  who  had  come  into  an 
apartment  of  our  house  to  procure  fire,  to  kindle  at  the  grave. 
They  also  poured  whiskey  on  the  grave. 

The  following  is  copied  from  the  journal  of  the  mission  for 
this  time :  "  Besides  the  mode  of  burying  the  dead  in  an  exca 
vated  log,  which  we  have  heretofore  described,  the  Indians 
observe  various  modes  of  interment.  In  some  instances  the 
corpse  is  placed  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  enclosed  with 
small  poles,  notched  closely  together.  Sometimes  the  walls  are 
perpendicular,  but  oftener  they  incline  inward,  until  the  longer 
sides  come  in  contact  with  each  other.  In  one  end  is  made  a 
small  aperture,  sufficient  to  admit  a  twist  of  tobacco.  The 
enclosure  is  sometimes  filled  with  earth.  Frequently,  in  the 
graves  of  men,  a  small  wooden  post  extends  a  few  feet  above 
the  tomb,  on  which  notches  are  cut,  or  marks  are  made,  each 
of  which  indicates  a  scalp  which  the  deceased  in  his  lifetime 
had  taken  from  an  enemy,  or  some  other  noble  deed  achieved. 
Over  the  graves  of  chiefs  a  tall  pole  is  often  erected,  upon  the 
top  of  which  is  suspended  a  yard  or  two  of  cotton  cloth,  as  a 
flag,  which  is  permitted  to  remain  in  that  situation  until  de 
stroyed  by  wind  and  weather. 

"  In  1821,  a  woman  on  Wabash  river  was  buried  by  being 
seated  with  the  head  erect,  and  was  braced  up  in  this  attitude, 
with  her  face  towards  a  small  window  in  the  east  end  of  the 
enclosure,  through  which  it  was  designed  that  she  should  behold 
the  rising  sun. 

"  A  few  years  since,  a  Putawatomie,  who  had  acquired  the 
name  of  Tobacco,  from  his  fondness  for  that  article,  desired  to 
be  buried  in  a  public  place,  which  travellers  would  frequently 
pass,  in  the  hope  that  by  this  means  he  should  frequently 
receive  a  piece  of  tobacco,  the  use  of  which  he  said  he  could  not 
think  of  discontinuing.  He  was  interred  in  a  log,  and,  agreeably 
to  his  request,  was  deposited  in  the  forks  of  a  road  between 
Detroit  and  Chicago. 

"  I  am  credibly  informed,  that  not  long  since  a  man  on  Wa 
bash  river  was  buried  standing  with  the  whole  body  erect,  and 
the  feet  placed  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth.  Before  his 
death,  he  requested  to  be  interred  in  this  attitude,  with  his  face 
towards  a  coal  mine,  near  which  he  was  placed  for  the  purpose 
of  guarding  it.  He  supposed  the  mine  contained  something 
valuable,  and  he  stated  to  his  people,  that,  as  the  settlements  of 
white  people  were  rapidly  approaching  them,  he  deemed  it 
proper  for  him  to  take  care  of  this  important  treasure." 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


187 


In  the  lake  country  to  the  north  I  have  seen  the  corpse 
placed  in  a  wooden  trough,  and  a  covering  of  bark  tied  over  it, 
and  then  elevated  upon  a  scaffold.  On  Arkansas  1  discovered 
where  the  corpse  of  an  adult  had  been  enclosed  in  a  bundle  of 
reeds — the  common  cane  so  abundant  in  that  country — and 
placed  upon  a  scaffold.  They  had  selected  a  tree,  from  which, 
about  ten  feet  from  the  earth,  several  boughs  extended  almost 
horizontally,  the  outer  ends  of  which  were  sustained  by  erect 
braces  of  poles,  i  accidentally  happened  on  it  as  I  passed 
through  a  remote  part  of  the  wilderness.  It  had  then  fallen 
down,  and  the  flesh  had  been  destroyed.  The  bones,  blanket, 
shrouding,  &ic.,  lay  at  the  place. 

The  bereaved  frequently  adopt  a  person  in  the  room  of  a 
deceased  relation.  About  the  9th  of  May,  18*22,  a  man  near 
us  was  invited  to  the  Massassinawa  towns,  to  be  adopted  in  the 
room  of  a  respectable  Miamie,  whose  English  name  was 
George,  and  who  had  left  a  considerable  family  of  children. 
In  the  ceremony  of  adoption  a  feast  is  prepared,  at  which  also 
there  must  be  an  ample  supply  of  ardent  spirits  to  drink. 
When  the  person  to  be  adopted  arrives,  he  is  stripped  of  his 
own  clothes,  and  is  dressed  in  the  best  clothes  remaining  of  the 
person  whose  place  he  is  designed  to  supply.  If  no  clothes  of 
the  deceased  suitable  to  the  occasion  can  be  produced,  new 
clothes  and  ornaments  are  accordingly  prepared.  The  candi 
date,  being  dressed  and  painted,  is  led  out  of  the  dressing  apart 
ment,  and  presented  to  the  nearest  relatives  of  the  deceased, 
who,  taking  him  by  the  hand,  call  him  by  the  name  of  their  de 
parted  friend,  and  receive  him  in  his  room.  He  becomes  seated 
by  the  father,  mother,  or  other  near  relations  of  the  deceased. 
Next  they  commence  beating  on  their  drums,  and  the  newly 
adopted  person  must  lead  in  the  dance,  which  accords  to  the 
music,  in  which  the  males  of  the  company  unite,  and  follow 
him  around  a  fire.  Afterwards  they  eat,  drink,  and  drum  and 
dance  many  hours. 

The  husband  and  the  wife  usually  hold  property  separately. 
All  the  property,  therefore,  which  had  belonged  to  the  deceased, 
though  he  may  have  been  a  husband  and  a  father,  is  now  given 
to  the  person  who  has  been  adopted ;  and  if  he  be  an  unmarried 
man,  the  widow,  or  some  other  near  relation  of  the  deceased,  is 
also  presented  to  him,  and  becomes  his  wife.  I  believe  the  man's 
fancy  is  not  consulted  in  this  case,  and  it  would  be  an  unpardon 
able  insult  to  the  company,  were  he  not  to  accept  the  wife 
offered  him. 

In  acknowledgment  for  these  attentions,  it  is  expected  that 
18 


138 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


the  newly  adopted  man  will,  either  at  the  present  or  at  a  future 
time,  make  presents  of  clothing,  or  the  like,  to  the  nearer  rela 
tions  of  the  deceased,  and  a  liberal  portion  of  ardent  spirits  to 
the  company,  by  which  they  may  give  zest  to  another  festival. 
Females,  also,  are  sometimes  adopted  in  the  room  of  deceased 
females. 

May  the  13th,  we  were  visited  by  a  Miamie  who  resided  near 
Tippecanoe,*  who  spoke  sensibly  about  education  and  improve 
ment  in  general.  He  desired  us  to  locate  ourselves  in  his  neigh 
bourhood,  and  argued  the  point  with  a  view  to  gain  our  consent. 
He  urged  that  it  was  a  good  place — corn  there  throve  well — he 
doubted  not  that  there  many  children  would  attend  school,  &tc. 
Formerly,  these  people  had  spurned  the  offers  of  institutions 
for  the  improvement  of  either  their  heads,  their  hands,  or  their 
hearts;  and  it  was  no  less  gratifying  than  surprising,  now,  to 
hear  them  endeavouring  to  persuade  us  to  settle  among  them  for 
these  purposes.  The  fields  around  us  appeared  to  be  whiten 
ing  for  the  harvest,  but  we  could  not  obtain  labourers. 

On  the  14th  of  May,  I  took  Abraham,  one  of  our  pupils,  and 
set  out  upon  a  tour  among  the  Putawatomies:  three  Frenchmen 
also  were  in  company.  We  passed  an  encampment  of  Puta 
watomies,  who  were  drinking.  A  relation  of  the  late  wicked 
Indian  who  had  so  illy  treated  me,  and  who  had  previously  inti 
mated  some  antipathy  against  me,  was  one  of  the  company:  he 
was,  however,  too  much  intoxicated  to  recognise  me.  He 
had  a  pistol  in  his  belt.  The  whole  company  proposed  fol 
lowing  us,  for  the  purpose  of  encamping  with  us,  and  Abraham, 
fearing  that  the  fellow  would  ascertain  that  I  was  in  company, 
and  on  overtaking  us  might  injure  me  with  the  pistol,  peaceably 
disarmed  him,  by  requesting  the  loan  of  it  for  the  purpose  of 
procuring  fire.  The  company,  however,  did  not  overtake  us  as 
they  had  proposed.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we  met  several 
companies  of  Indians  going  to  Fort  Wayne  to  procure  whiskey. 
I  slept  on  a  piece  of  bark,  as,  in  those  days,  I  usually  did  in  the 
wilderness,  when  bark  could  be  procured.  On  the  day  following, 
we  had  so  much  difficulty  in  crossing  Elksheart  river,  that  we 
found  it  necessary  to  halt  and  dry  our  baggage. 

On  the  16th,  we  reached  a  French  trading  house,  at  Park- 
aux-Vaches,  by  travelling  through  the  rain.  I  was  sorry  to  hear 
that  many  of  the  chiefs,  whom  I  desired  to  see  in  reference 
to  our  settlement  in  that  country,  had  gone  to  Lake  Michigan 

The  Indian  pronunciation  is  Ke-t£p'-e-kon.  An  idea  prevails  extensively, 
that  Tippecanoe  embraces  the  word  canoe ;  but  the  word  for  canoe,  with  slight 
variations  in  the  diffierent  dialects  spoken  in  that  region,  is  chee-man. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 

to  engage  in  a  drunken  frolic;  a  trader  having  arrived  at  that 
place  with  a  quantity  of  whiskey. 

On  the  17th,  I  sent  Abraham  to  the  lake,  to  urge  the  return 
of  the  chiefs,  and  to  bring  thence  three  children  for  our  school. 
In  the  mean  time,  I  took  a  Frenchman  and  rode  five  or  six  miles 
to  examine  the  ground  on  which  the  Putawatomies,  as  I  had 
learned,  desired  us  to  settle.  In  our  excursion  we  called  at  two 
lonely  little  huts,  one  made  of  bark,  and  the  other  of  flags. 
Here  I  met  with  a  chief  from  a  neighbouring  village,  who,  with 
the  rest  of  the  company,  appeared  delighted  with  the  prospect 
of  our  settling  near  them,  and,  by  many  rude  expressions  of  friend 
ship,  welcomed  me  to  their  country. 

The  wigwam  composed  of  flags  was  circular,  about  ten  feet 
in  diameter,  and  about  seven  feet  high  in  the  centre.  The 
smoke  from  the  fire  in  the  middle  of  the  hut  escaped  through 
an  opening  above.  The  door  was  closed  by  a  deer  skin  attached 
to  the  upper  part.  Within  lay  a  woman  on  the  ground,  whose 
groans  indicated  extreme  agony,  and  whose  appearance  presaged 
a  speedy  dissolution.  Her  body  and  arms  were  uncovered,  ex 
cepting  as  she  occasionally  drew  over  them  an  old  blanket,  which, 
in  her  restlessness,  she  was  perpetually  shifting.  Six  days  be 
fore  this  time  she  had  become  the  mother  of  twin  sons,  one  of 
whom  had  died,  and  the  other  was  scarcely  alive.  1  already 
supposed  that  I  had  witnessed  among  Indians  the  extreme  of 
wretchedness ;  but  a  sight  of  this  infant,  which  was  brought  to 
me  that  I  might  see  it,  together  with  the  indescribable  condition 
of  its  mother,  surpassed  any  thing  which  I  had  ever  beheld, 
and  excited  in  me  feelings  both  of  sympathy  and  horror.  The 
babe  was  placed  on  a  board,  as  was  common  with  those  people, 
with  pieces  of  an  old  blanket  around  it,  to  which,  and  to  the  infant, 
now  six  days  old,  I  suppose  a  drop  of  water  had  never  been 
intentionally  applied,  it  gasped  for  breath  ;  "  but  why,"  thought 
I,  "  should  it  desire  to  live,  seeing  that  its  life  must  be  that  of  a 
miserable  Indian  !  Or  shall  our  benevolent  institution,  to  be 
erected  here,  become  a  house  of  mercy  to  such,  in  which  shall 
be  concentrated,  for  their  benefit,  the  sympathies  and  charities  of 
Christians !" 

The  Frenchman  who  was  with  me  was  a  very  profane  man, 
but  a  professed  Roman  Catholic,  and  on  this  account  esteemed 
himself  a  Christian.  He  said,  "  he  believed  that  baptism  would 
be  very  good  for  the  child,  and  that  he  would  return  on  the 
following  day  and  baptize  it." 

On  the  18th  I  rode  to  Menorninee's  and  Pcheekos's  villages, 
and  was  received  with  much  kindness.  The  day  following  the 


140  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

people  of  both  villages  assembled  at  one  house.  I  issued  tobacco, 
and  all  smoked.  Next  a  bowl  of  hommony  passed  around  the 
company,  of  which  all  partook,  one  after  another,  by  means-  of 
the  same  ladle,  without  spoon  or  dish.  After  which  I  spoke  to 
them  an  hour,  on  the  propriety  of  their  adopting  habits  of  civili 
zation,  &c. 

1  then  informed  them  that  I  desired  to  address  them  solely 
on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  wished  the  women  also  to  hear. 
They  were  called,  but  appeared  ashamed  to  come  into  the  house, 
it  not  being  customary  for  women  to  mingle  with  the  men  w7hen 
in  a  council,  from  which  they  could  not  distinguish  this  assem 
blage.  The  females  generally  seated  themselves  outside  of  the 
house,  but  near  enough  to  hear.  All  listened  attentively  to  the 
discourse,  and  then  retired  about  half  an  hour,  which  time  the 
principal  men  employed  in  private  consultation  ;  when  we  re^ 
assembled,  and  they  made  the  following  reply  : 

"  Our  father,  we  are  glad  to  see  you  and  hear  you  among  us. 
We  are  convinced  that  you  come  among  us  from  motives  of 
charity  towards  us.  We  believe  that  you  know  what  to  tell  us, 
and  that  you  tell  us  the  truth.  We  are  glad  to  hear  that  you  are 
coming  to  live  near  us,  and  when  you  shall  have  arrived  we  will 
visit  your  house  often,  and  hear  you  speak  of  these  good  things." 
The  bowl  of  hommony  then  passed  around  the  company  again, 
all  smoked, shook  hands,  and  parted  in  friendship.  On  leaving, 
some  of  them  gave  me  their  blessing.  The  benediction  of  one 
was  as  follows :  "  May  the  Great  Spirit  preserve  your  health, 
and  conduct  you  safely  to  your  family,  give  success  to  your 
labours,  and  bring  you  back  to  us  again." 

Among  those  tribes  we  rarely  saw  the  men  labouring  in  the 
field.  The  cultivation  of  the  field  was  almost  universally  es 
teemed  the  business  of  the  women.  On  this  occasion  we  passed 
a  small  field  in  which  a  company  of  men  were  also  labouring. 
Men,  women,  and  children,  came  running  to  meet  us  at  the 
fence,  and  all  gave  me  the  parting  hand. 

I  did  not  see  among  them  a  particle  of  either  bread  or  meat, 
excepting  a  few  pigeons  which  they  had  killed  with  sticks  ; 
some  deer  might  have  been  taken,  but  they  were  destitute  of 
powder  and  lead,  and  had  not  any  thing  with  which  to  purchase 
those  articles.  Excepting  roots  and  weeds,  their  only  food  at 
this  time  consisted  of  corn  and  dried  beans,  of  which  their  stock 
was  exceedingly  small. 

Abraham  would  have  brought  two  or  three  children  from  the 
lake,  for  our  school,  had  he  been  able  to  procure  horses  for 
them  to  ride,  On  our  return  to  Park-aux-Vaches,  a  woman  was 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


i4t 


there  who  had  fled  from  a  cruel  husband,  who  had  designed  to 
murder  her  and  her  children,  of  whom  he  was  only  the  step 
father.  The  eldest,  a  son,  had  been  a  while  at  our  institution, 
and  the  mother  now  gave  us  a  little  girl  to  take  home. 

We  set  out  for  Fort  Wayne  on  the  21st  of  May,  having  with  us 
two  Indian  boys  and  this  little  girl.  The  mother  was  consider 
ably  affected  at  parting  with  her  children.  We  halted  and  con 
versed  a  while  with  the  people  in  Rum's  village,  and  at  night 
pitched  our  tents  amidst  a  fall  of  rain,  through  which  we  had 
travelled  an  hour,  and  where  we  were  annoyed  by  swarms  of 
musketoes. 

On  the  23d  we  passed  three  drunken  Indians  lying  asleep  in 
the  weeds,  and  also  passed  many  others  who  were  intoxicated. 
On  the  same  day  we  reached  Fort  Wayne,  and  were  happy  to 
find  our  business  moving  on  well,  notwithstanding  the  family 
had  been  much  annoyed  by  intoxicated  Indians. 

In  my  absence,  an  Indian  murdered  his  brother  near  our 
house.  Soon  after  this  atrocious  act,  Mrs.  McCoy  and  some 
others  went  to  the  place,  and  found  the  dead  man  horribly  man* 
gled.  He  had  been  stabbed  seven  times,  and  ripped  up  on  one 
side.  The  hardened  wretch  who  had  done  the  deed,  without 
any  appearance  of  remorse,  showed  them  how  and  where  the 
wounds  had  been  inflicted.  Our  family  buried  the  deceased. 
About  the  same  time  this  wretch  raised  a  quarrel  with  ope 
of  our  larger  Indian  boys,  and  chased  him  some  distance  with  a 
drawn  knife,  with  the  design  to  kill  him.  The  lad  ran  into  our 
house  for  protection,  while  the  pursuer  was  close  at  his  heels.. 
It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  our  eldest  son,  only  a  boy,  and 
Mr.  Lykins,  the  school  teacher,  got  the  fellow  to  leave  the 
house  without  accomplishing  his  bloody  design.  He  did  not 
attempt  to  injure  them  ;  but  such  was  his  obstinacy,  and  his  de 
termination  to  take  the  life  of  our  Indian  boy,  that  while  they 
reasoned  with  him  in  a  friendly  manner,  and  required  him  to 
leave  the  house,  they  deemed  it  prudent  for  each  of  them  to 
be  provided  with  a  good  cane. 

In  my  absence,  a  man  from  Miamie  county,  Ohio,  agreeably 
to  his  previous  proposals  to  us,  arrived,  with  a  view  of  becoming 
a  missionary.  He  proposed  to  take  the  management  of  our 
agricultural  matters.  We  had  deemed  it  most  expedient  that 
he  should  first  come  without  his  family,  and  make  some  trial  of 
his  qualifications.  The  result  of  a  few  weeks'  probation  with 
us  was  a  conviction  that  he  would  not  be  useful  as  a  mission 
ary. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  Mr.  Jackson  put  our  smithery  into 


142  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

operation,  and  one  of  our  Indian  boys  was  taken  into  the 
shop,  with  a  view  of  teaching  him  the  art  of  blacksmithing. 
About  this  time  we  received  many  interesting  visits  from  the 
Indians.  One  chief  said  he  would  give  us  two  square  miles  of 
land  for  mission  premises,  if  we  would  settle  near  his  town.  At 
this  time,  myself  and  several  of  our  family  suffered  by  sickness. 

On  Lord's  day,  June  2d,  1822,  immediately  after  the  morn 
ing  services,  Mr.  Johnston  Lykins,  our  school  teacher,  related 
to  us  his  exercises  of  mind  on  the  subject  of  religion,  which  left 
us  no  doubt  of  his  being  a  disciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  had 
obtained  a  hope  in  Christ  while  he  taught  our  school  on  the 
Wabash  river.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  I  preached 
on  the  subject  of  baptism,  and  baptized  him  in  the  Maumee 
river,  in  presence  of  a  considerable  number  of  spectators,  some 
of  whom  were  Indians. 

While  some  whom  we  had  employed  to  assist  us  had  given 
us  much  trouble,  others  had  afforded  us  great  satisfaction.  Mr. 
Lykins  was  the  second  school  teacher  who,  at  our  place,  had 
obtained  hope  in  Christ,  and  he  was  the  third  of  those  whom 
we  had  employed,  who  had  been  baptized.  The  first  school 
teacher  alluded  to  was  Mr.  Corbly  Martin,  who  at  this  time  was 
an  acceptable  minister  of  the  Gospel  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  My 
health  was  so  poor  that  I  was  compelled  to  deliver  both  dis 
courses  of  this  day  as  I  sat  in  my  chair,  and  it  was  with  diffi 
culty  that  I  descended  and  ascended  the  river  bank,  in  attending 
to  the  ordinance  of  baptism. 

On  the  3d  of  June  we  buried  another  poor  Indian,  who  had 
died  near  our  house.  Two  days  previously  an  Indian  stabbed 
his  wife  near  us,  and  would  have  instantly  taken  her  life,  had 
she  not  been  rescued  by  a  white  man  who  happened  to  be 
present. 

With  the  view  of  obtaining  Anthony  Shane,  a  half-Indian, 
to  reside  with  us  when  we  should  become  settled  among  the 
Putawatomies,  to  serve  the  institution  as  interpreter,  and  desi 
rous  also  that  his  wife,  who  was  a  member  of  our  church,  should 
be  within  reach  of  religious  instruction,  I  set  out  on  horseback 
on  the  4th,  for  their  place,  a  distance  of  forty-five  miles.  I  was 
so  unwell  that  I  was  scarcely  able  to  ride.  I  reached  Shane's 
on  the  5th,  having  travelled  fifteen  miles  through  a  rain,  and 
found  myself  more  indisposed.  On  the  6th  I  preached,  sitting 
in  my  chair.  The  object  of  my  visit  was  not  attained,  and  with 
much  pain  I  returned  to  my  own  house  on  the  7th. 

The  people  of  White  Raccoon's  village,  having  commenced 
improving  their  lands,  erecting  houses,  &c.,  and  getting  into 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


143 


such  difficulties  in  their  incipient  improvements  as  threatened  to 
deprive  them  of  a  crop,  they  applied  to  us  for  some  assistance. 
For  their  encouragement  in  well  doing,  we  sent  a  young  man, 
with  a  wagon,  plough,  and  team,  to  labour  for  them  one  week, 
without  charge.  For  this  favour  they  expressed  many  thanks. 
Mr.  Lykins,  whom  I  baptized  on  the  2d  of  June,  offered  to 
unite  with  us  as  a  fellow  labourer;  with  much  pleasure  we  gave 
him  the  hand  of  fellowship  as  such,  and  it  is  with  increased 
satisfaction  that  we  can  now  reflect  that  the  high  expectations 
which  we  then  indulged  of  his  future  usefulness  have  not  been 
disappointed.  He  was  at  that  time  a  little  over  twenty-two 
years  of  age.  He  was  furnished  with  the  following  certificate 
of  his  appointment : 

"  Fort  Wayne,  June  15,  1822. 

"  Agreeably  to  regulations  of  the  Baptist  Board  of  Missions 
for  the  United  States,  in  relation  to  the  appointment  of  mission 
aries  to  the  Fort  Wayne  mission,  the  bearer,  Mr.  Johnston 
Lykins,  at  his  request,  and  upon  a  full  acquaintance  with  his 
character,  is  hereby  duly  appointed  a  missionary,  in  conjunction 
with  those  already  labouring  at  this  station. 

"  As  Mr.  Lykins  has  dedicated  his  life  to  this  service  solely 
for  the  good  of  the  Indians,  without  the  promise  or  hope  of  any 
pecuniary  reward  whatever,  expecting  nothing  more  than  a  sub 
sistence,  it  is  hoped  that  all  good  people  will  treat  him  with  that 
respectful  attention  which  his  talents,  piety,  and  self-denial 
merit.  ISAAC  McCoy." 

With  one  exception,  which  we  shall  explain  hereafter,  the 
use  of  ardent  spirits  presented  the  most  formidable  obstacle  to 
Indian  reform.  Laws  of  Congress  had  been  enacted  to  prevent 
the  introduction  of  ardent  spirits  into  the  Indian  country,  but  it 
could  not  be  perceived  that  the  Indians  drank  less  liquor  on  ac 
count  of  the  enactment  of  these  laws ;  they  were  seldom  exe 
cuted.  By  law,  traders  were  required,  as  they  still  are,  to  take 
licenses  from  an  Indian  agent  or  superintendent.  In  these  they 
pledged  security,  in  a  given  amount,  to  observe  the  laws  of  the 
United  States  regulating  trade  and  intercourse  with  the  Indian 
tribes ;  and  one  of  these  laws  positively  forbids  the  introduction 
of  ardent  spirits  into  the  Indian  country  ;  nevertheless,  traders 
as  regularly  laid  in  ardent  spirits,  as  a  part  of  their  annual  stock 
to  carry  to  their  store-houses,  as  they  did  blankets,  calicoes,  or 
any  other  article.  In  ten  years  that  we  spent  in  that  country, 
we  knew  not  a  solitary  exception  to  this  statement. 

We  could  perceive  no  way  by  which  this  evil  could  be 


144 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


checked,  but  by  kindly  remonstrating  with  those  who  were  in 
the  practice  of  furnishing  the  Indians  liquor.  All  such  persons 
in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Wayne,  excepting  one,  at  length  con 
sented  to  discontinue  the  practice,  each  upon  the  proviso  that 
others  also  would  discontinue  it.  On  the  12th  of  June  we  had 
a  general  meeting  of  the  white  inhabitants  of  the  neighbour 
hood,  and  formed  a  society,  the  object  of  which  was  the  sup 
pression  of  this  practice.  The  following  is  the  preamble  to  the 
constitution  : 

"  Whereas  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits  to  the  aborigines  of  our 
country  is  productive  of  the  most  baleful  effects  ;  it  has  been 
proven  to  be  the  fruitful  source  of  poverty  and  wretchedness 
among  them ;  it  destroys  conjugal,  paternal,  and  filial  affection  ; 
it  paralyzes  a  sense  of  honour,  decency,  fidelity,  and  virtue ;  it 
leads  to  ignorance,  superstition,  indolence,  and  crime ;  occasions 
the  most  horrid  and  barbarous  murders,  fosters  the  wretchedness 
of  savage  habits,  and  checks  the  progress  of  civilization  among 
them:  And  whereas  the  continuation  of  the  practice  of  furnish 
ing  them  with  liquor,  with  such  infallible  proofs  of  its  pernicious 
consequences  before  us,  would  be  not  only  a  violation  of  the 
good  laws  of  the  United  States,  but  also  of  humanity  and  of 
every  feeling  of  the  benevolent  heart,  without  even  increasing 
the  profits  of  trade  among  them :  Therefore,  we,  whose  names 
are  subscribed  below,  do  agree  to  unite  in  a  society,"  fee. 

The  society  resolved  to  solicit  the  co-operation  of  all  traders 
in  the  Indian  country,  and  of  others  on  the  frontiers  of  white 
settlements ;  but  the  success  of  the  society  was  not  equal  to  the 
kindness  of  its  resolutions.  The  individual  who  refused  to  come 
into  those  measures  was  soon  after  detected  in  selling  liquor  to 
the  Indians,  with  proof  positive,  ;which  made  him  liable  to  fines 
for  three  offences.  The  cases  were  such  that  it  was  necessary 
for  them  to  be  decided  by  the  court,  meeting  in  the  village  of 
Winchester,  about  eighty  miles  from  Fort  Wayne.  The  matter 
was,  by  the  society,  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  proper  civil  offi 
cers,  and  there  it  ended.  Finding  it  impracticable  to  induce 
the  execution  of  laws  forbidding  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits  to  the 
Indians,  the  society  was  not  a  little  discouraged ;  and  some  of 
us  soon  after  removing  to  the  Carey  mission,  a  hundred  miles 
off,  matters  returned  to  run  in  their  former  channels. 

Throughout  the  month  of  June  I  was  sick,  and  much  of  the 
time  unable  to  preach,  even  from  my  seat.  On  the  28th,  Mrs. 
McCoy  was  attacked  with  fever.  On  the  9th  of  July  her 
health  was  improving,  and  mine  was  so  far  restored,  that  it  was 
deemed  proper  for  me  to  set  out  upon  a  journey  to  Detroit,  (two 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  145 

hundred  miles,)  which  had  been  delayed  on  account  of  my  ill 
health.  The  first  night  we  tied  our  horses  to  trees  at  an  en 
campment,  to  prevent  their  escape.  On  the  following  morning, 
as  we  were  allowing  them  to  graze  a  little,  they  were  so  much 
annoyed  by  flies  and  musketoes  that  they  attempted  to  leave 
us,  and  occasioned  a  severe  race  to  recover  them. 

This  journey  to  Detroit  was  made  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
the  facilities  which  had  been  provided  by  the  treaty  of  Chicago, 
and  which  had  been  promised  to  us.  By  an  arrangement  of 
the  Department  of  War,  this  matter  had  been  placed  under  the 
control  of  his  Excellency  Lewis  Cass,  Governour  of  Michigan 
Territory.  Our  wishes  in  this  matter  were  fully  met.  Mr. 
John  Sears  was  appointed  teacher  for  the  Ottawas ;  the  black 
smiths  for  botli  the  Ottawas  and  Putawatomies  I  was  authorized 
to  select.  This  was  a  very  favourable  circumstance,  because  it 
allowed  us  time  to  look  around  for  suitable  persons  for  those 
places ;  whereas,  had  we  been  required  to  present  the  names  of 
the  smiths  at  that  moment,  we  should  have  lost  those  places, 
and  have  been  liable  to  have  an  ungodly  man  placed  in  our 
connection  in  the  capacity  of  smith,  for  we  had  no  man  in  readi 
ness  for  the  Ottawa  smithery.  and  of  Mr.  Jackson's  perseverance 
in  missionary  labours  we  already  began  to  feel  doubts. 

The  importance  which  at  that  time  was  attached  to  the  pro 
visions  of  the  treaty  of  Chicago  may  be  inferred  from  the 
commission  and  instructions  given  me  by  the  Governour  of 
Michigan  Territory,  as  follows : 

"  Detroit,  July  16,  1822. 

"  SIR  :  By  the  article  of  the   treaty  of  Chicago,  the 

sum  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars  is  appropriated  for  the  support 
of  a  blacksmith,  teacher,  and  a  person  to  instruct  the  Ottawas 
in  agriculture,  and  for  the  purchase  of  cattle,  farming  utensils, 
&c. ;  and  the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars  is  appropriated  for 
the  support  of  a  teacher  and  blacksmith  for  the  Putawatomies. 
The  establishment  for  the  latter  is  to  be  formed  on  a  section  of 
land,  to  be  located  in  the  Indian  country,  south  of  the  St. 
Joseph's,  and,  for  the  former,  north  of  the  Grand  river. 

"  Having  been  instructed  by  the  Secretary  of  War  to  avail 
myself  of  your  services  upon  this  subject,  if  they  can  be  advan 
tageously  used,  and  believing  the  interests  of  the  United  States, 
as  well  as  those  of  the  Indians,  will  be  promoted  by  your  em 
ployment,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  conferring  on  you  the  appoint 
ment  of  teacher  for  the  Putawatomies,  and  also  upon  your 
associate,  Mr.  Sears,  that  of  teacher  for  the  Ottawas. 
19 


146  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

"  Your  duties  as  superintendent  of  the  establishment,  by  the 
Baptist  church,  for  the  civilization  and  improvement  of  the  In 
dians,  will  be  separate  from  and  independent  of  those  which 
will  be  required  of  you  under  the  treaty  ;  and  for  the  execution 
of  the  latter,  agreeably  to  the  instructions  you  may  receive, 
you  will  be  responsible  to  the  proper  officers  of  the  United 
States. 

"  As  teacher,  you  will  give  such  instructions  to  the  Indians, 
old  and  young,  as  you  may  deem  best  suited  to  their  capacity, 
habits,  and  condition.  What  portion  of  these  instructions  shall 
be  moral  and  religious,  must  be  referred  to  your  own  discretion. 
Schools  for  the  education  of  youth  will  come  within  the  sphere 
of  your  duties,  so  far  as  circumstances  may  require,  and  as  the 
bounty  of  individuals  or  of  societies  may  provide  for  the  support 
of  the  scholars.  But  no  other  expenditure  than  your  own  com 
pensation  must  be  expected  from  the  United  States  for  this 
object. 

"  Accompanying  this  I  transmit  you  an  extract  of  rny  letter 
to  the  Northern  Missionary  Society,  which  will  exhibit  to  you 
my  sentiments  on  this  subject,  and  which  render  it  unnecessary 
for  me  to  repeat  them  in  this  letter. 

"  But,  independent  of  these  objects,  your  duties,  as  teacher, 
will  extend  to  the  whole  circle  of  Indian  wants,  and  to  all  the 
means  of  Indian  improvement,  whether  moral  or  physical. 

"  1st.  It  will  be  a  paramount  duty  to  inculcate  proper  senti 
ments  towards  the  Government  and  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  to  persuade  the  Indians,  as  far  as  possible,  to  withdraw 
their  views  and  affections  from  a  foreign  Power,  and  to  restrain 
them  from  any  acts  which  would  render  them  obnoxious  to  our 
laws,  or  expose  them  to  the  lawless  attacks  or  depredations  of 
individuals. 

"  2d.  All  attempts  to  meliorate  the  condition  of  the  Indians 
must  prove  abortive,  so  long  as  ardent  spirits  are  freely  intro 
duced  into  their  country.  Their  continued  intoxication  is  the 
bane  of  all  our  efforts.  Every  hope,  feeling,  and  consideration, 
are  sacrificed  to  this  overwhelming  passion.  It  is  an  absolute 
mania,  which  they  appear  to  be  wholly  unable  to  resist,  and 
which  sweeps  before  it  every  barrier  of  self-regard,  of  moral 
duty,  and  of  natural  affection.  One  fact  will  place  this  lament 
able  evil  in  a  clearer  point  of  view  than  the  most  laboured  dis 
cussion.  At  the  treaty  concluded  September  last,  at  Chicago, 
Topenebe,  principal  chief  of  the  Putawatomies,  a  man  nearly 
eighty  years  of  age,  irritated  at  the  continual  refusal,  on  the  part 
of  the  commissioners,  to  gratify  his  importunities  for  whiskey, 


INDIAN   MISSIONS.  147 

exclaimed  in  the  presence  of  his  tribe,  '  We  care  not  for  the 
land,  the  money,  or  the  goods ;  it  is  the  whiskey  we  want — 
give  us  the  whiskey.' 

"  Under  such  circumstances,  your  efforts  must  be  unceasingly 
directed  to  prevent  the  introduction  of  ardent  spirits  into  the 
Indian  country.  Congress  have  done  their  duty  on  this  subject, 
and  if  the  laws  are  administered  with  vigilance  and  fidelity,  the 
most  salutary  consequences  may  be  anticipated.  You  must 
explain  to  the  chiefs,  and  the  more  reasonable  men,  the  misery 
and  destruction  which  the  indulgence  of  this  habit  will  entail 
upon  their  race,  and  endeavour  to  promote  the  establishment  of 
associations  with  the  avowed  object  of  preventing  the  introduc 
tion  and  use  of  ardent  spirits.  In  fact,  no  terms  must  be  made 
with  this  devastating  enemy,  and  the  final  accomplishment  of 
your  object  will  depend,  in  a  great  degree,  upon  your  success 
in  this  first  and  most  important  effort. 

"  3d.  It  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  observe  the  conduct  of 
the  traders,  and  report  any  infractions  of  the  laws  to  the  nearest 
agent,  that  proper  measures  may  be  taken  to  investigate  the 
facts,  and  to  punish  the  offenders,  and  more  particularly  the 
offence  mentioned  in  the  preceding  article,  of  introducing  into 
the  Indian  country  ardent  spirits,  either  by  traders  or  others. 
The  nature  of  the  evidence  and  the  names  of  the  witnesses  will, 
in  all  cases,  accompany  your  report. 

"4th.  In  all  this  section  of  country,  the  fur-bearing  animals, 
as  well  as  those  used  for  food  by  the  Indians,  are  disappearing. 
It  is  impossible  for  the  different  tribes  to  support  themselves  by 
the  product  of  the  chase,  and  it  is  highly  important  that  their 
attention  should  be  directed  to  agriculture,  and  to  the  rearing  of 
domestic  animals,  before  their  condition  has  become  such  as  to 
render  further  exertions  hopeless. 

"  There  is  no  stipulation  in  the  Chicago  treaty  for  the  em 
ployment  of  any  person  to  teach  the  Putawatomies  agriculture, 
or  to  provide  domestic  animals  for  them.  They  will,  of  course, 
be  deprived  of  the  aid  of  any  labourers,  and  also  of  any  assist 
ance  in  the  purchase  of  cattle  and  horses.  But  still,  the  duty 
of  recommending  these  subjects  to  their  attention  must  be  faith 
fully  performed.  The  considerations  proper  to  be  urged  are  too 
obvious  to  require  enumeration.  They  embrace  their  means  of 
present  subsistence  and  all  their  hopes  for  the  future.  Without 
this  radical  change  in  their  habits  and  views,  their  declension 
must  be  rapid,  and  their  final  extinction  near  and  certain.  Be 
sides,  all  prospect  of  moral  improvement  must  depend  upon  a 
previous  improvement  in  their  physical  condition.  By  render- 


148 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


ing  them  stationary,  by  assigning  to  each  a  separate  tract  of 
land,  and  thereby  teaching  them  the  value  of  exclusive  property, 
and  by  enabling  them  to  furnish  their  food  with  less  fatigue  and 
more  certainty  by  the  labours  of  agriculture  than  by  the  chase, 
we  shall  gradually  teach  them  the  advantages  of  our  arts  and 
institutions,  we  shall  prepare  them  for  such  instruction  as  they 
may  be  able  to  comprehend,  and  as  may  suit  their  altered  con 
dition.  But  to  reverse  this  natural  order  of  things,  and  to 
undertake  to  explain  to  them  the  obligations  of  religion  and 
the  moral  duties  of  life,  while  they  are  naked,  starving,  hopeless, 
and  helpless,  is  to  ensure  the  failure  of  the  plans  which  charity 
has  devised,  and  zeal  is  now  prosecuting  for  their  melioration. 

"  Endeavour,  therefore,  by  precept  and  example,  to  reclaim 
them  from  the  life  of  a  hunter.  Your  time  and  services  cannot 
be  better  employed,  and  I  trust  you  will,  ere  long,  realize  your 
most  ardent  expectations. 

"5th.  The  cash  annuities  which  the  different  tribes  receive 
from  the  United  States  might  be  made  very  serviceable  to  them, 
if  judiciously  expended.  It  will  be  proper,  therefore,  that  you 
should  advise  them  what  articles  they  ought  to  purchase,  and 
endeavour,  as  far  as  possible,  to  restrain  them  from  procuring 
whiskey,  or  trifling  and  expensive  ornaments,  which  contribute 
nothing  to  their  comfort  or  support. 

"  6th.  It  is  important  that  their  implements  of  agriculture, 
their  clothing,  and  domestic  animals,  should  not  be  sold  ;  and  as 
the  law  expressly  prohibits  the  traffic,  under  a  specific  penalty, 
you  will  report,  as  in  the  former  case,  any  violations  of  it  to  the 
nearest  Indian  agent,  and  you  will  also  explain  to  the  Indians 
the  immense  sacrifice  which  this  custom  occasions  to  them,  and 
the  little  proportion  there  is  between  the  value  of  the  articles 
which  they  give  and  receive. 

"  7th.  The  Indians  gain  nothing  by  resorting  to  our  settle 
ments.  They  exchange  every  necessary  article  in  their  posses 
sion  for  whiskey.  They  violate  the  laws,  and  are  exposed  to 
punishment.  They  commit  depredations  upon  the  property  of 
our  citizens,  and  the  amount  is  deducted  from  their  annuities, 
and,  above  all,  they  resort  to  a  foreign  country,  where  they  bar 
ter  immediate  promises  and  future  services  for  substantial  pre 
sents,  where  an  influence  is  acquired  over  them,  injurious  to 
us  and  destructive  to  them  ;  you  will  endeavour  to  persuade 
them,  therefore,  to  remain  at  home.  Their  annuities  will  be 
principally  paid  to  them  in  their  own  country.  There  are 
traders  enough  to  furnish  them  with  goods,  and  to  receive  their 
peltries  in  exchange. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  149 

"  8th.  It  will  be  proper  for  you  to  visit,  occasionally,  their 
villages,  to  become  acquainted  with  the  different  individuals,  to 
examine  their  wants,  and  their  modes  of  living,  and  to  acquire 
their  confidence  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  the  greatest  effect 
to  your  advice  and  representations. 

"  An  annual  compensation  will  be  allowed  you  of  four  hun 
dred  dollars ;  and  you  can  select  a  blacksmith,  whose  annual 
compensation  will  be  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars. 
These  allowances  will  commence  with  the  commencement  of 
your  duties  upon  the  reservation.  The  balance  of  the  appro 
priation,  being  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  dollars,  will  be  ex 
pended  in  the  purchase  of  steel,  iron,  &ic.,  and  in  other  contin 
gent  expenses. 

"  The  blacksmith  will  be  under  your  direction,  and  will  be 
employed  in  repairing  guns,  in  making  traps,  spears,  hoes,  toma 
hawks,  axes,  and  the  necessary  farming  utensils.  He  will  be 
kept  faithfully  employed. 

"  You  can  transmit  a  statement  of  the  articles  and  materials 
required,  as  well  for  the  establishment  upon  the  St.  Joseph's,  as 
for  that  upon  Grand  river,  embracing  tools,  iron,  &,c.,  and  such 
as  will  be  deemed  proper  will  be  sent  to  Chicago. 

"  The  tools  for  the  blacksmiths  may  be  either  furnished  by 
them  at  a  fair  price,  or  sent  from  here  upon  your  requisition. 

"  Mr.  Sears's  compensation  will  be  the  same  as  yours,  and  he 
or  you  can  select  the  blacksmith  for  Grand  river.  The  black 
smith  will  be  allowed  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars  per 
annum. 

"  Mr.  Sears's  duty  will  be  regulated  by  the  principles  here 
laid  down,  and  he  will  be  governed  by  these  instructions,  of 
which  you  will  please  to  furnish  him  a  copy,  as  far  as  they 
apply. 

"  But  the  stipulation  for  the  Ottawas  is  more  extensive,  in  its 
objects  and  amount,  than  that  of  the  Putawatomies.  A  teacher 
of  agriculture  is  to  be  provided,  and  in  the  execution  of  this 
stipulation  I  think  it  will  be  better  to  employ  two  or  three 
native  young  men  as  labourers.  They  should  be  sent  to  the 
different  villages,  to  split  rails,  to  make  fences,  to  build  cabins, 
to  plough,  and  to  plant,  and  to  raise  corn.  As  the  Indians  will  at 
first  be  averse  to  labour,  it  is  expedient  to  consult  their  preju 
dices,  and  to  give  them  as  great  advantages  from  our  limited 
means  as  possible ;  and  I  think  it  will  be  much  better  to  employ 
young  men  at  low  wages,  as  actual  labourers,  rather  than  one 
person  at  a  higher  rate,  as  a  mere  teacher  of  agriculture. 

"  It  is  desirable,  as  these  persons  must  live  among  the  Indians, 


150 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


that  they  should  understand  their  manners,  and,  if  possible, 
speak  their  language.  I  think,  therefore,  it  will  be  better  to 
send  Canadians  from  this  place,  and  I  shall  accordingly  pursue 
this  course,  and  direct  them  to  report  to  Mr.  Sears  for  instruc 
tions.  He  will  station  them  as  he  may  think  best,  and  direct 
and  superintend  their  labours. 

"  I  shall  send  a  few  ploughs,  chains,  yokes,  &c.,  to  the  agent 
at  Chicago,  with  instructions  to  forward  them  to  Grand  river, 
to  Mr  Sears,  for  distribution. 

"  I  expect  the  principal  Ottawa  chief  here  in  a  few  days, 
and  until  his  arrival  1  shall  delay  making  any  provisions  respect 
ing  cattle  and  horses. 

"  Some  allowance  will  be  made  this  year  towards  the  erec 
tion  of  buildings  for  the  teachers  and  blacksmiths;  but  the 
amount  will  be  limited,  and  will  be  made  upon  the  receipt  of 
your  estimate  and  report,  after  reaching  the  seats  of  the  esta 
blishments. 

"  You  will  exercise  a  general  superintending  power  over  the 
persons  at  Grand  river,  as  well  as  those  at  St.  Joseph's,  and 
will  make  regular  semi-annual  reports  to  the  agent  at  Chicago 
and  to  me ;  and,  to  enable  you  to  do  this,  Mr.  Sears  will  make 
regular  reports  to  you. 

"  These  reports  must  exhibit  the  situation  of  the  establish 
ments,  the  number  and  occupations  of  the  several  persons  em 
ployed,  the  quantity  of  labour  performed,  the  number  of  persons 
taught,  the  condition  of  the  schools,  if  there  are  any,  the  pro 
gress  made  in  mechanic  arts  and  agriculture,  and  prospects,  by 
which  the  exertions  of  the  several  persons  may  be  determined, 
and  the  efficacy  and  final  result  of  the  experiment  ascertained. 

"  Your  reports  will  also  be  accompanied  by  an  estimate  of 
the  probable  expenses  for  the  next  half  year,  detailing,  under 
distinct  heads,  the  several  branches  of  expenditure,  writh  as  much 
accuracy  as  possible. 

14  Payments  will  be  made  to  yourself  and  to  the  several  per 
sons  employed,  as  near  the  beginning  of  January  and  July  in 
each  year  as  practicable.  Forms  of  the  proper  vouchers  and 
accounts  will  be  hereafter  transmitted  to  you ;  and  on  the  receipt 
of  these  vouchers,  signed  by  the  several  persons,  money  will 
be  remitted  to  you  for  their  payment. 

b  ^The  sites  for  the  respective  establishments  upon  the  St. 
Joseph's  and  Grand  rivers  are  to  be  located  by  the  President  of 
the  United  States.  I  shall  despatch  a  competent  person,  in  a 
few  days,  through  that  country,  to  ascertain  the  most  eligible 
situation  for  tliese  establishments,  that  I  may  report  the  facts  to 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  151 

the  Secretary  of  War,  to  be  laid  before  the  President.  I  will 
communicate  to  you  the  instructions  which  the  Secretary  of 
War  may  give  upon  this  subject. 

"The  same  person  will  be  authorized  to  apply  to  the  proper 
chiefs,  to  ascertain  their  feelings  and  wishes,  and  to  receive  any 
representations  they  may  wish  to  make. 

"  The  Indian  agency  at  Chicago  is  nearer  the  St.  Joseph's 
than  this  place.  I  am  not  yet  satisfied  whether  it  would  be 
better  that  instructions  should  from  time  to  time  be  given  you 
from  that  place  or  from  here.  JThe  decision,  however,  shall 
shortly  be  made  ;  and  in  the  mean  time  you  will  please  to  attend 
to  any  instructions  which  the  agent  at  Chicago  may  give. 

"  You  will  observe  that  this  whole  arrangement  is  temporary, 
and  subject  to  any  alterations  which  the  Secretary  of  War  may 
make.  I  shall  report  my  proceedings  to  him,  and  he  will 
approve  or  disapprove  them,  as  he  may  think  proper.  What 
ever  instructions  he  may  give  will  be  carried  into  full  effect. 
"  1  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy."  "  LEWIS  CASS' 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  foregoing  instructions  required  me  to 
report,  semi-annually,  both  to  the  Governour  of  Michigan  Ter 
ritory  and  to  the  Indian  agent  at  Chicago.  Subsequently  a 
special  commissioner  was  appointed  by  the  Governour,  to  visit 
this  and  other  missionary  stations  within  his  superintendency, 
and  report  to  him  their  condition,  management,  prospects,  &c. ; 
and  this  report  was  also  forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  for 
his  examination.  A  small  portion  of  an  annual  appropriation 
of  Congress  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  for  purposes  of  Indian 
reform,  was  allowed,  in  aid  of  our  station  among  the  Putawato- 
mies.  By  this  means  the  institution  was  brought  under  the 
immediate  patronage  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  irrespective  of 
the  arrangements  in  which  the  Governour  of  Michigan  was  con 
cerned,  and  we  were  therefore  required  to  report  directly  to  the 
Secretary  of  War.  In  addition  to  all  these  reports,  we  were 
required  to  report  annually,  or  oftener,  to  the  board  of  missions. 
While  the  preparation  of  these  reports  necessarily  employed 
time,  which  seemed  called  for  by  other  business,  the  arrange 
ment  was  favourable  to  us,  because  the  concerns  of  the  mission 
were  so  thoroughly  developed  as  to  inspire  confidence  abroad, 
and  thus  elicit  assistance  from  Government,  and  prayers  and 
benefactions  from  the  pious. 

We  were,  as  above  seen,  required  to  make  six  reports  in  the 
course  of  the  year,  viz :  two  to  the  Indian  agent  at  Chicago, 


152 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


one  hundred  miles  to  the  west;  two  to  Governour  Cass,  two  hun 
dred  miles  off  to  the  east ;  one  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  and 
one  to  the  board  of  missions.  A  seventh  report  for  each  year 
was  made  by  the  special  commissioner  appointed  to  visit  the 
station  in  person,  which  was  made  to  the  Governour  of  Michi 
gan  Territory,  and  by  him  laid  before  the  Secretary  of  War. 

These  arrangements  brought  the  minutiae  of  the  whole  rou 
tine  of  our  operations  fully  before  the  several  authorities  to 
which  the  reports  were  made ;  and  the  missionaries  have  ever 
appealed,  with  great  confidence  and  much  satisfaction,  to  the 
testimony  borne  to  their  fidelity  and  management  by  those 
honourable  and  disinterested  departments.  Our  reports  to  the 
board  of  missions  embraced  accounts  of  our  receipts  and  dis 
bursements.  The  several  items  of  expenditure,  with  date  and 
circumstance  as  far  as  practicable,  and  in  important,  and  even 
in  many  small  disbursements,  the  missionaries  secured  vouchers 
from  the  persons  with  whom  they  dealt,  which  were  carefully 
preserved  on  file,  to  show  that  the  expenditure  had  been  made 
as  had  been  stated  in  the  account. 

It  will  be  seen,  a  few  pages  hence,  that  the  missionaries,  by 
articles  of  agreement  between  themselves,  and  between  them 
selves  and  the  board  of  missions,  which  usually  met  in   Phila 
delphia,  had  surrendered  to  the  board  their  individual  claims  to 
all   property  which  should  come  into  their  hands,  from  any 
source  whatever.     Hence  the  salaries  which  some  of  the  mis 
sionaries  received  from  Government  were  not  claimed  as  the 
property  of  those  several  persons ;  but  every  dollar  was  accre 
dited   to   the   board,  as  scrupulously   as   though   it   had   been 
received  immediately  from  them.    The  application  of  it  became 
a  business  under  the  direction  of  the  board,  and  all  expenditures, 
as  before  stated,  were  submitted  to  the  inspection  of  that  body. 
The   receipts  of  the  mission   consisted,  as  above  stated,  of 
Government  salaries  to  some  of  the  missionaries,  a  portion  of 
the  ten  thousand  dollar  annual  appropriation  of  Congress  for 
Indian  reform,  also  appropriations  from  the   board   from  their 
own  charity  funds,  and  donations  of  money,  books,  clothing  and 
bedding,  chiefly  for  the  Indian  children   in   school,  live  stock, 
&,c.,  made  directly  to  the  mission  by  benevolent  societies  and 
individuals.     The  accounts  of  receipts  and  disbursements  were 
audited  by  the  board  of  missions;  and  either  the  whole,  or  so 
much  as  was  necessary,  was  published  in  their  printed  periodi 
cals;  so  that  the  whole  matter,  embracing  money  or  property 
received,  and  money  or  property  expended,  became  open  to  the 
investigation  of  all  persons  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States.    If 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


158 


a  contributor  to  the  support  of  the  mission  desired  to  know 
whether  his  donation  had  reached  the  end  designed  by  him,  he 
had  only  to  look  on  the  mission  accounts,  as  reported,  exa 
mined,  &tc. 

The  Government  salary  of  two  of  the  missionaries  was  to 
each  four  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  and  of  another  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars  per  annum.*  In  earning  this 
money  from  Government,  they  were  not  required  to  lose  an 
hour  from  their  missionary  work,  for  the  service  required  by 
the*  Government  and  that  required  by  the  board  of  missions 
were  virtually  the  same.  Their  commissions  improved  their 
usefulness  as  missionaries.  They  could  therefore  have  claimed 
their  salaries  from  Government  as  their  private  property,, 
with  as  much  propriety  as  any  other  Government  officers 
could  claim  theirs.  But  this  was  never  done.  The  mis 
sionaries  who  received  Government  salaries  profited  no  more 
by  them  than  they  who  received  none.  All  was  thrown  into 
the  common  missionary  fund,  and  became  the  property  of  the 
board.  &  &s\ 

Having  obtained  my  papers  from  Governour  Cass,  I  hastened 
back  to  Fort  Wayne,  which  I  reached  on  the  21st  of  July, 
having  spent  the  previous  night  in  a  desolated  hut,  being  wet 
with  rain,  and  having  only  a  small  blanket  for  my  bed.  About 
this  time  we  again  became  sickly.  On  the  29th  of  July  one  of 
our  little  daughters  and  four  of  our  Indian  children  were  sick 
of  bilious  fever,  and  my  own  health  poor. 

His  Excellency  Lewis  Cass  commissioned  Mr.  Charles  C. 
Trowbridge  to  make  definite  arrangements  with  the  Indians  for 
the  sites  for  our  missionary  stations.  He  passed  Fort  Wayne 
on  the  27th,  and,  by  agreement,  I  was  to  meet  him  in  the  Puta- 
watomie  villages  a  few  days  afterwards. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  1822,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sears  arrived. 
They  had  travelled  a  hundred  miles  of  the  road  over  which  I 
had  passed  a  few  days  before,  on  my  way  from  Detroit.  Mr. 
Sears's  father  and  brother  had  been  in  company,  and  had  been 
left  back  in  a  dearborn  wagon,  while  our  new  comers  had  come 
on  upon  horseback.  They  had  a  wilderness  of  fifty  miles,  with 
out  inhabitant,  to  pass,  in  order  to  reach  our  place ;  this  they 
could  not  perform  by  daylight.  They  travelled  in  the  night, 
until  losing  the  path ;  they  spent  two  hours  in  waiting  for  day, 

*  It  will  be  seen  presently  that  Mr.  Sears,  who  had  been  appointed  teacher 
for  the  Ottawas,  did  not  remain  long  enough  to  become  entitled  to  any  pay 
from  Government.  The  commission  was  held  by  others  at  divers  times,  who 
surrendered  the  emolument  to  the  board  of  missions. 

20 


154  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

much  annoyed  the  whole  time  by  musketoes.  We  sent  assist 
ance  to  meet  those  of  the  party  who  were  behind,  and  on  the 
2d  of  August  Mr.  Sears's  father  and  his  brother,  Benjamin 
Sears,  arrived.  The  latter  came  with  a  view  of  becoming  a 
missionary.  He  was  cordially  received  as  such,  and,  agree 
ably  to  the  authority  with  which  the  board  had  invested  me,  I 
gave  him  credentials,  dated  August  3d,  1822.  He  was  an  un 
married  man,  about  twenty-two  years  of  age. 

Several  weeks  before  this  we  had  resolved  to  form  ourselves 
into  a  regular  church  on  the  3d  day  of  this  month  ;  the  arrival 
of  our  new  missionaries  was  therefore  opportune. 

The  subject  of  missions  was  new  to  many  in  the  west ;  and 
while  missionary  labours  were  approved  by  some,  others,  whom 
we  respected  as  Christians,  for  want  of  information,  conjectured 
that  new  principles,  in  either  doctrine  or  discipline,  or  both, 
were  necessarily  connected  with  missions.  Proper  respect  for 
the  feelings  of  our  weak  brethren,  and  especially  those  of  our 
own  denomination,  required  us  to  embrace  all  favourable  oppor 
tunities  of  correcting  these  mistakes.  The  constitution  of  our 
church  was  an  occasion  favourable  to  our  desires  in  this  respect. 
We  pursued  the  usual  course  of  applying  to  the  nearer  Baptist 
churches  for  ministerial  helps.  Two  of  the  ministers  for  whose 
assistance  we  had  written  to  the  State  of  Ohio  were  professedly 
opposed  to  missions,  and  on  that  account,  we  supposed,  did  not 
attend  to  our  request ;  a  third  was  prevented  by  proper  consi 
derations.  We  were  happy  to  have  the  assistance  of  Rev.  C. 
Martin,  of  Ohio,  who  had  been  our  school  teacher,  as  has  been 
stated,  and  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Sears,  sen.,  of  Meredith,  New- 
York.  Mr.  Martin  preached  from  Isaiah  xxxv,  and  part  of  first 
verse :  "  The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall  be  glad 
for  them."  The  right  hand  of  fellowship  was  given  by  Mr.  B. 
Sears,  sen.,  and  the  charge  by  Mr.  Martin.  The  following  is 
the  summary  of  doctrines  which  were  subscribed,  viz: 

"  We,  whose  names  follow,  being  convinced  of  the  propriety 
and  utility  of  a  church  state,  and  having  due  knowledge  of  each 
other  in  respect  to  experimental  and  practical  religion,  by  con 
sent  and  with  the  assistance  of  Elder  Benjamin  Sears,  of  Mere 
dith,  New-York,  and  Elder  Corbly  Martin,  of  Staunton,  Ohio, 
do  agree  to  unite  in  a  church  compact,  upon  the  firm  basis  of 
the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  as  being  of 
divine  authority,  and  the  only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  prac 
tice.  And  whereas  there  are  different  opinions  among  professed 
Christians  in  relation  to  the  true  meaning  of  Scripture, therefore, 
in  order  to  prevent  unpleasant  disputation;  and  to  cherish  har- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


155 


mony  of  sentiment,  we  deem  it  indispensable  to  subjoin  the  fol 
lowing  expression  of  the  leading  features  of  those  doctrines  of 
the  Gospel  most  liable  to  be  disputed,  which  shall  always  be 
considered  as  the  sentiments  of  this  church. 

"  ART.  i.  We  believe  in  one  only  true  and  living  God,  who 
is  infinite  and  unchangeable  in  all  his  divine  perfections  or  attri 
butes,  such  as  wisdom,  power,  justice,  love,  &c.,  the  Creator 
and  Preserver,  of  all  things ;  and  that  he  cannot  be  brought  under 
the  least  obligations  to  any  of  his  creatures. 

"  ART.  ii.  We  believe  that  in  Deity  there  is  a  Trinity, 
of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  in  all  respects  equal,  and 
unlike  the  subordination  between  father  and  son  among  men. 

"  ART.  in.  We  believe  that  God  is  not  liable  to  the  least 
disappointment,  but  that  eternity  is  at  all  times  fully  compre 
hended  by  him,  so  that  neither  the  malice  of  hell,  nor  the  wick 
edness  of  men  on  earth,  can  any  way  frustrate  his  eternal  pur 
poses. 

"  ART.  iv.  We  believe  that  God  made  man  upright,  but  he 
has  voluntarily  fallen  from  his  uprightness ;  that  in  his  fall  he 
lost  all  traces  of  virtue,  (moral  goodness,)  and  became  wholly 
averse  to  godliness ;  yet  he  is,  on  that  account,  under  no  less 
obligations  to  his  God. 

"  ART.  v.  We  believe  that  as  there  is  nothing  new  with  God, 
it  is  his  eternal  purpose  to  save  those  who  ultimately  will  be 
received  into  heaven,  not  upon  the  supposition  of  any  condition 
to  be  performed  by  them,  but  wholly  in  consequence  of  what 
Jesus  Christ  has  done  in  their  behalf. 

"  ART.  vi.  We  believe  the  Son  of  God  united  himself  to 
humanity,  and  in  that  state  fulfilled  in  his  life  the  law  of  God, 
which  was  binding  on  man,  and  suffered  in  his  death  the  penal 
requisitions  of  the  same. 

"  ART.  vii.  We  believe,  agreeably  to  the  inevitable  conse 
quences  of  articles  first,  third,  and  fifth,  that  Christ's  life, 
death,  resurrection,  and  intercession,  were,  and  are,  in  behalf  of 
those,  and  those  only,  who  shall  enjoy  the  benefits  thereof. 

"  ART.  vin.  We  believe  that  regeneration  is  effected  by 
the  operations  of  the  Spirit  of  God  only,  and  is  an  essential 
preparation  for  the  enjoyment  of  God  in  heaven,  and  an  assur 
ance  of  title  thereto. 

"  ART.  ix.  We  believe  that,  through  grace,  all  who  are 
regenerated  will  be  preserved  in  a  gracious  state,  and  will  cer 
tainly  go  to  heaven. 

"  ART.  x.  We  believe  it  to  be  perfectly  congenial  to  the 
Scriptures,  and  to  the  spirit  of  the  foregoing  articles,  for  minis- 


156 


HISTORY    0V    BAPTIST 


ters  of  the  Gospel  to  command  all  men   indiscriminately  to 
repent,  and  to  exhort  them  to  believe  the  Gospel. 

"  ART.  xi.  We  believe  that  God  hath  appointed  a  day  in 
which  he  will  judge  all  men  by  Jesus  Christ. 

"  ART.  xii.  We  believe  that  the  joys  of  the  righteous  will 
be  eternal,  and  that  the  sufferings  of  the  wicked  will  be  of  end 
less  duration. 

"  ART,  xin.  We  believe  that  the  suffering  of  the  wicked 
is  the  spontaneous  consequence  of  their  own  wickedness,  and 
not  the  effect  of  any  thing  in  or  done  by  Deity,  hostile  to  their 
happiness. 

"  ART.  xiv.  We  believe  that  none  but  believers  in  Christ 
ought  to  be  baptized,  and  that  immersion  is  the  only  scriptural 
mode  of  baptism. 

"  ART.  xv.  We  believe  that  none  but  baptized  believers  in 
Christ,  united  in  Gospel  order,  have  a  right  to  communion  at 
the  Lord's  table, 

"  ART.  xvi.  We  believe  that  God  hath  set  apart  one  day  in 
seven,  for  rest  and  religious  worship,  and  that  the  first  day  of 
the  week  ought  to  be  observed  as  such,  in  resting  from  our 
temporal  concerns,  excepting  works  of  necessity. 

"  And  being  united  together  upon  the  foregoing  plan,  we 
deem  it  our  duty  to  walk  in  all  the  commandments  and  ordi 
nances  of  the  Lord  blameless,  which,  that  God  may  enable  us  to 
do,  let  every  member,  at  all  times,  fervently  pray. 

«  ISAAC  McCoy,  JOHN  SEARS, 

41  CHRISTIANA  McCoy,       MARY  SEARS, 

"  GILES  JACKSON,  JOHNSTON  LYKINS, 

•"  MARY  JACKSON,  BENJAMIN  SEARS,  JUN. 

"  Missionaries. 

41  WISKEHELAEHQUA,  a  Delaware  woman. 
"  ANN  TURNER,  a  Miamie  woman. 
"  JESSE  Cox,  a  black  man." 

lO    \(  <'!  ,Xy *»£)&• 

On  the  following  day  we  commemorated  the  death  of  our 
blessed  Lord  Jesus, 

The  constitution  of  our  church,  the  association  of  such  a 
goodly  number  of  missionaries,  and  the  prospect  of  our  getting 
on  to  eligible  sites  for  future  usefulness,  were  matters  affording 
great  encouragement.  Truly  we  needed  strength,  as  it  began 
now  to  appear,  to  bear  the  severe  trials  of  our  faith,  which  the 
Lord  was  permitting  to  come  upon  us. 

Our  history  for  a  few  weeks  from  this  time  can  best  be  given 
by  copying  from  the  journals  of  the  mission : 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  157 

"  August  4,  1822.  Our  little  daughter  Elizabeth,  who  has 
been  languishing  some  time  under  a  fever,  grows  worse. 

"  August  6.  1  am  much  distressed.  The  interests  of  the 
mission  imperiously  require  my  presence  on  St.  Joseph's  river, 
where  I  have  agreed  to  meet  Mr.Trowbridge,  the  commissioner, 
and  the  Putawatomies,  on  the  10th,  in  order  to  fix  upon  the 
place  for  the  future  location  of  the  mission,  &c.  Should  I  not 
get  thither  in  time,  we  may  be  located  in  an  undesirable  place, 
and  other  inconveniences  will  likely  ensue.  Should  I  not  get 
out  to  prepare  hay  from  the  prairies  for  our  stock  through  the 
succeeding  winter,  we  shall  scarcely  be  able  to  proceed  in  the 
erection  of  buildings  before  the  next  spring.  We  shall  obtain 
no  aid  from  Government  until  we  get  on  to  the  ground  ;  and 
our  want  of  pecuniary  assistance  is  so  great,  that  the  mission 
will  scarcely  exist  without  help  from  Government.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  seems  to  be  a  trial  too  great  to  be  borne, 
to  leave  my  child  here,  apparently  at  the  point  of  death,  and  to 
leave  my  distressed  wife  to  bear  alone  the  probable  bereaving 
stroke. 

"  August  7.  Mr.  Sears,  four  hired  white  men,  and  one  of 
our  Indian  boys,  set  off  with  a  wagon  for  St.  Joseph's  river.  I 
accompanied  them  a  few  miles,  and  returned  to  watch  the  symp 
toms  of  our  dear  child.  In  the  afternoon,  the  Indian  boy  whom 
I  had  left  with  the  company  returned,  sick  of  a  fever.  Two 
others  of  our  children,  and  Mrs.  Jackson  and  one  of  her  chil 
dren,  have  become  sick. 

"  August  8,  eight  o'clock,  A.  M.  Elizabeth  revived  a  little, 
and  became  able  to  speak,  and  we  cherished  fairer  hopes  of  her 
recovery.  My  wife  and  I  concurred  in  opinion,  that  it  was  safe 
to  trust  in  God ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  path  of  duty  should 
lead  us  through  trials  severe  in  the  extreme,  yet  the  mercies  of 
<jod  would,  in  the  end,  surpass  them,  as  we  had  often  experi 
enced  ;  and  since  the  state  of  our  affairs  imperiously  required 
my  presence  at  St.  Joseph's,  we  agreed  that  it  would  be  proper 
for  me  to  go.  Accordingly  I  was  ready  to  mount  my  horse  in 
a  few  minutes.  On  taking  what  proved  to  be  my  final  leave  of 
our  Elizabeth,  she  said  she  was  willing  I  should  go,  if  I  would 
not  remain  absent  too  long.  When  ready  to  start,  it  was  disco 
vered  that  the  Indian  whom  I  had  engaged  to  accompany  me 
had  been  intoxicated,  and  was  now  unwilling  to  appear  in  my 
company.  He  at  length  consented. 

"  With  feelings  which  I  could  not  describe,  I  took  leave  of 
our  afflicted  family  and  brethren  and  sisters.  The  Indian  hur 
ried  on  before  me,  and,  as  I  believed,  with  a  view  of  deserting 


158 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


me.  In  less  than  a  mile  1  discovered  him  asleep  in  the  weeds 
near  our  path.  I  prevailed  on  him  to  renew  his  journey.  On 
overtaking  the  wagon,  I  found  one  of  the  hands  quite  sick,  and 
riding  Mr.  Sears's  horse,  and  the  latter  travelling  on  foot.  We 
had  to  open  the  road  for  the  wagon  as  we  proceeded.  The 
10th  of  August  was  the  day  that  I  had  agreed  to  meet  the 
commissioner  in  the  Indian  country.  Being  yet  fifty  miles 
from  the  place  of  meeting,  Mr.  Sears  and  our  Indian  proceeded 
ahead,  while  I  remained  with  the  wagon.  On  the  afternoon  of 
the  12th  we  encountered  a  storm,  which  wetted  us  much,  and 
rendered  lodging  on  the  ground  unsafe  at  this  sickly  season.  I. 
laid  a  bag  of  corn  under  me,  to  raise  me  from  the  wet  earth. 

"  August  13.  We  arrived  at  the  trading  house  at  which  we 
had  agreed  to  meet  the  commissioner  and  the  part  of  our  com 
pany  which  had  gone  in  advance  of  us.  One  of  the  work  hands 
was  very  sick.  On  the  14th  the  hands  were  set  to  work,  making 
boards  to  cover  a  camp,  and  preparing  to  make  hay  on  the 
prairies.  A  runner  was  sent  to  assemble  the  Putawatomie 
chiefs,  who  were  requested  to  meet  on  the  next  day.  In  the 
evening  a  man  hallooed  across  the  river,  and  said  he  desired  to 
see  me.  I  instantly  judged  that  he  had  come  with  evil  tidings 
from  my  family.  A  letter  from  Mr.  Lykins  informed  me  that 
Elizabeth  was  yet  alive,  but  barely  so.  Mrs.  McCoy  and  ano 
ther  of  our  children,  and  several  others  of  the  family,  had  sick 
ened  with  fevers  after  my  departure,  and  I  was  entreated  to 
return  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  I  could  do  no  better  than  leave  with  the  proper  persons 
my  views  and  wishes  in  regard  to  our  business,  and  directions 
for  the  work  hands,  and  return  to  our  place.  I  had  a  hundred 
miles  of  wilderness  to  go  through,  but  made  it  in  a  little  over  a 
day  and  a  half.  Five  miles  from  home  I  heard  that  Elizabeth 
was  dead  and  buried."  She  was  nearly  nine  years  old,  and  was 
the  same  that  had  barely  escaped  the  loss  of  her  life,  a  few 
months  before,  by  the  hands  of  a  murderous  Indian.  She  was 
the  second  child  we  had  buried  after  we  had  become  mission 
aries.  A  younger  daughter  long  lingered  in  a  nervous  fever, 
exceedingly  low;  her  nerves  ever  after  remained  so  much 
affected  as  to  render  her  incapable  of  taking  care  of  herself; 
and  this  continued  affliction  of  a  dear  child,  once  among  the 
most  sprightly  of  our  children,  has  been  a  source  of  anxiety 
exceeding  all  others  which  belong  to  the  ordinary  matters  of 
our  life. 

Mrs.  McCoy  was  at  this  time  labouring  under  a  fever,  which 
was  the  second  attack  during  summer.  Five  of  my  own  chil- 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


159 


dren,  Mrs.  Jackson  and  her  three  children,  and  seven  of 
the  Indian  part  of  our  family,  were  sick.  Studies  in  school 
were  suspended,  and  indeed  all  other  business  was  omitted 
excepting  attendance  upon  the  sick.  The  prompt  attention 
and  useful  services  of  our  good  brother  Lykins,  in  this  time  of 
affliction,  ought  never  to  be  forgotten. 

A  dark  cloud  at  this  time  seemed  to  be  gathering  over  the 
affairs  of  the  mission.  In  addition  to  the  common  afflictions  of 
the  family,  fears  were  felt  that  the  board  of  missions  were  be 
coming  cold  in  the  cause  of  this  mission.  These  suspicions 
were,  perhaps,  not  well  founded.  They  arose  from  the  silence 
of  the  board  for  some  months,  in  their  public  prints,  relative  to 
this  mission.  It  was  also  remembered  that  the  board  had  not 
been  hearty  in  the  establishment  of  a  mission  in  this  quarter,  but 
that  they  had  been  drawn  into  the  measure  by  circumstances 
which  they  could  not  easily  control.  There  was  therefore  a  ten 
dency  to  put  an  unfavourable  construction  upon  any  seeming 
neglect  of  theirs.  The  effect  of  these  suspicions  at  the  mission 
were,  however,  the  same  as  though  they  had  been  well 
founded. 

Believing  that  the  board  would  probably  propose  some 
changes  which  would  frustrate  our  plans  in  relation  to  missions 
in  this  country,  the  resolution  had  been  formed:  1st,  to  put 
the  mission  into  extensive  operation,  if  possible,  and  with  as 
little  delay  as  circumstances  would  allow,  so  that  the  board 
could  not  draw  back,  even  if  they  felt  inclined  so  to  do,  without 
incurring  responsibilities  in  public  opinion,  beyond  what  they 
could  desire  ;  and,  2dly,  to  obtain  all  the  assistance  possible  from 
Government  and  a  benevolent  Christian  public,  so  that  our  de 
pendence  upon  the  board  for  support  might  become  small,  or  be 
dispensed  with  altogether,  excepting  the  examination  of  our 
receipts  and  disbursements,  and  the  reporting  of  the  same  to  the 
public. 

Our  personal  afflictions  were  about  this  time  so  severe  that 
there  was  reason  to  fear  that  some  of  our  new  missionaries 
would  become  disheartened  and  inclined  to  desert  the  field.  For 
fear  of  adding  to  their  discouragements,  1  concealed  from  all, 
except  Mr.  Lykins,  the  fears  which  were  felt  in  regard  to 
ample  patronage  from  the  board.  It  appeared,  however,  that  the 
Christian  public  did  not  feel  that  indifference  to  our  interests 
which  we  feared  had  been  felt  in  a  degree  by  some  members  of 
the  board.  With  the  public  generally,  there  appeared  an  in 
creasing  attention  to  our  wants.  The  amount  of  donations  for 
this  mission,  specially,  appeared  from  the  public  prints,  much 


160 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


greater  than  had  been  received  by  the  board  for  any  one  of  its 
other  missions  in  one  year. 

The  following  is  from  our  journal : 

"  August  20.  One  of  our  work  hands  at  St.  Joseph's  has  re 
turned  on  account  of  sickness. 

"  August  28.  New  cases  of  sickness  occur  in  the  family  almost 
daily.  Mrs.  McCoy  has  recently  been  very  sick,  is  now  a  little 
better.  Mr.  Benjamin  Sears  has  been  indisposed  a  week  and 
is  now  very  sick  of  fever.  This  is  the  thirtieth  case  of  sickness 
in  our  family." 

On  the  22d,  a  Baptist  minister,  from  the  State  of  New-York, 
(Rev.  Phinehas  Nichols,)  arrived  at  our  place.  He  came  for 
the  purpose  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  condition  and  pros 
pects  of  the  mission,  and,  if  things  appeared  favourable,  he  de 
signed  to  offer  himself  as  a  missionary.  He  remained  with  us 
until  the  28th.  He  said  that,  previous  to  his  visiting  us,  he  had 
no  thought  that  our  difficulties  were  so  great  as  he  now  disco 
vered  they  must  necessarily  be.  He  left  us.  after  having  aban 
doned  all  idea  of  becoming  a  missionary  to  the  Indians.  On  the 
same  day,  Mr.  Jackson,  who,  for  some  time,  had  given  evident 
signs  of  a  failing  resolution,  told  me  plainly  that  "  he  could  not 
reconcile  himself  to  the  privations  which  we,  who  were  mission 
aries  to  these  Indians,  were  destined  to  endure."  We  lived  har 
moniously  and  happily  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson,  and  we 
esteemed  them  both  valuable  acquisitions  to  the  mission.  Loth 
to  part  with  them,  we  had  been  some  time  endeavouring  to 
bolster  them  up  by  such  talks  as  were  calculated  to  fan  mission 
ary  fire.  But  we  were  unsuccessful.  On  this  day  it  became 
properly  understood  between  us  that  he  was  no  longer  a  mission 
ary.  The  reasons  which  he  assigned  for  his  resignation,  and 
which  were  entered  upon  the  journals  of  the  mission,  were  :  That 
he  had  a  mother  who  was  somewhat  dependant  on  him  for  sup 
port  :  he  could  not  endure  the  idea  of  bringing  up  his  children 
among  the  Indians;  he  could  not  reconcile  himself  to  live  in 
so  large  a  family  as  our  missionary  family  ;  he  did  not  enjoy  reli 
gious  comfort  as  he  formerly  had — and,  in  a  word,  he  could  not 
endure  the  difficulties  attendant  on  a  missionary  life. 

As  we  were  in  want  of  a  smith  for  the  Putavvatomie  station, 
and  it  had  been  expected  that  Mr.  Jackson  would  fill  that  place, 
and  as  Mrs.  Jackson's  services  were  greatly  needed  in  the 
family,  I  hired  them  to  continue  their  services  in  the  family,  as 
usual,  for  one  year,  for  which  the  mission  paid  them  two  hun 
dred  dollars,  besides  board,  &tc.  On  the  same  day  they  set  out 
upon  a  visit  of  several  weeks  to  their  friends  in  Ohio. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


161 


The  following  is  copied  from  our  journal : 

"  Friday,  August  30.  Our  youngest  child  was  attacked  with 
fever.  This  is  the  thirty-second  case  of  fever  in  the  family. 
Our  wagon  and  hands  came  in  from  St.  Joseph's,  having  prepared 
hay,  &c.  An  Indian  boy  whom  we  sent  to  meet  them  returned 
very  sick. 

"  Sunday,  September  1.  Mrs.  Sears  was  attacked  with  fever ; 
also,  Mr.  Bruce,  foreman  of  the  hands,  lately  at  St.  Joseph's. 
Others  of  the  family  have  become  worse.  Our  condition  is 
truly  alarming.  Could  not  attend  to  preaching,  nor  even  to 
family  prayers,  on  account  of  the  attentions  which  the  sick 
required. 

"  September  2.  Two  Indian  boys  taken  ill  of  fever.  Mr. 
John  Sears  returned,  sick  of  intermittent  fever.  This  is  the 
thirty-ninth  case.  He  was  several  days  sick  in  the  wilderness, 
where  he  enjoyed  the  company  of  Mr.  Trowbridge,  the  com 
missioner,  whose  kindness  to  Mr.  Sears  deserves  to  be  remem 
bered.  He  accompanied  that  gentleman  to  Detroit,  whence  he 
came  on  alone  to  Fort  Wayne.  The  two  nights  previous  to  his 
arrival  he  slept  alone  in  the  wilderness. 

11  September  3.  Mr.  John  Sears  has  become  more  indisposed. 
Mrs.  Sears  grows  worse  ;  Mr.  Benjamin  Sears  no  better. 

"  Sunday,  September  8.  So  much  sickness  and  distress  in 
the  family  that  we  could  not  have  preaching.  Two  more  are 
added  to  the  sick  list."  iwsri 

The  fever  in  our  neighbourhood  was  at  this  time  so  general 
that  the  sick  could  not  receive  the  attentions  which  their  condi 
tion  required.  Hired  nurses,  or  other  persons  to  perform  the 
labour  of  the  house,  could  not  be  obtained.  Mr.  Lykins's  health 
and  mine  were  still  preserved.  In  addition  to  our  other  duties 
to  the  sick,  we  were  compelled  to  go  into  the  kitchen  and 
prepare  food  as  regularly  as  the  day  returned. 

In  this  time  of  severe  trials,  Mr.  John  Sears  and  Mrs.  Sears 
gave  evident  signs  of  a  disposition  to  quit  the  mission.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jackson  had  already  gone.  Mr.  Benjamin  Sears  and 
Mrs.  McCoy  were  both  sick.  Mr.  Lykins  alone  remained  to 
me  a  friend,  whose  circumstances  enabled  him  to  be  a  counsel 
lor  and  a  comforter  ;  and  such  he  certainly  was.  Neither  the 
performance  of  the  most  disagreeable  services  for  the  sick, 
whether  they  were  missionaries,  their  children,  or  Indian  chil 
dren,  nor  their  peevishness  and  unreasonable  demands,  nor  the 
deathlike  discouragements  which,  in  various  forms,  hovered 
around  our  abode,  moved  him  from  his  noble  determination  to 


162  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

do  right.  He  never  became  impatient,  nor  formed  hasty  con 
clusions,  for  the  sake  of  getting  out  of  a  scene  of  distress.  Sel 
dom  do  circumstances  occur  so  fully  to  attest  what  a  man  is,  as 
those  under  which  Mr.  Lykins  was  at  this  time  placed.  It  was 
not  his  amiable  disposition  alone  by  which  we  profited.  His 
soundness  of  judgment  in  administering  to  the  sick,  and  in 
relation  to  missionary  affairs  generally,  was  constantly  deve 
loping. 

It  having  been  concluded  that  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  visit 
Ohio,  to  employ  domestics,  and  to  transact  other  important  busi 
ness,  I  set  out  on  the  9th  of  September,  leaving  two  of  my  chil 
dren  and  many  others  extremely  sick.  The  late  distressing  cir 
cumstance  of  the  death  of  our  daughter  in  my  absence,  and  when 
my  wife  was  too  much  indisposed  to  see  her  buried,  and  many 
other  distressing  associations  of  thought  which  our  afflictions  and 
other  circumstances  were  calculated  to  inspire,  made  it  painful  to 
myself  and  others  for  me  to  leave  them  at  this  time. 

I  travelled  alone,  and  noticed  that  persons  whom  I  met 
gazed  at  me  with  some  appearance  of  astonishment,  from  which 
1  inferred  that  the  deep  anxiety  of  my  mind  was  visible  in  my 
countenance.  The  second  day,  at  noon,  I  sickened,  but  pro 
ceeded  until  I  was  compelled  by  high  fever  to  stop  at  a  little 
cabin  of  white  people.  I  was  sixty  miles  from  home,  and  could 
not  possibly  return  thither  through  the  wilderness  ;  and  if  I 
had,  should  have  found  most  of  them  sick.  I  then  said  to 
myself,  as  I  afterwards  wrote  in  my  journal,  "  How  dark  are  the 
late  dealings  of  Providence !  The  very  existence  of  the  mis 
sion  seems  to  be  menaced.  The  sick  at  the  establishment  suf 
fering  for  want  of  attention  ;  the  school  suspended;  some  of  the 
missionaries  have  forsaken  the  field,  and  others  will  probably 
soon  follow :  important  business  requiring  my  presence  in  the 
white  settlements,  and  still  more  important  business  will  demand 
my  presence  a  few  days  hence  at  Fort  Wayne,  while  I  am  for 
bidden  to  go  to  either  place ;  my  family  sick  yonder,  and  I  sick 
here,  in  a  place  in  which  the  thought  of  being  confined  is  in 
tolerable  ;  some  important  engagements  with  the  Miamies  and 
Ottawas  in  danger  of  being  thwarted ;  to  which  may  be  added 
many  other  discouragements,  so  that  the  cloud  becomes  gloomy 
and  the  day  dark  I  '  Yet,  through  the  stormy  cloud,  I'll  look 
once  more  to  Thee,  my  God.' ' 

On  the  following  day,  September  llth,  being  unable  to  travel 
on  horseback,  I  prevailed  upon  a  man  with  an  ox  wagon  to 
convey  me  twenty  miles  further  towards  the  white  settlements. 
On  the  following  day,  Captain  B.  Leave!!,  to  whom  I  had 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


163 


sent  intelligence  of  my  condition,  came  to  me  with  a  carriage, 
and  conveyed  me  to  Piqua,  Ohio.  1  was  now  favoured  with  the 
attention  of  kind  friends  and  skilful  physicians.  This  day  I  was 
extremely  sick. 

On  the  14th  of  September,  my  health  being  a  little  improved, 
I  employed  a  man  to  attend  to  my  business.  Two  of  my 
sons  were  at  school  about  thirty  miles  from  me,  and,  hearing  of 
my  illness,  the  elder  came  to  see  me,  and  rendered  me  much 
service  in  the  transaction  of  business. 

On  the  16th  1  wrote  this  note  in  my  journal :  "  Was  visited 
by  the  worthy  Rev.  John  Mason,  who  left  the  Mad  River  Bap 
tist  Association,  and  came,  shall  I  say,  as  an  angel  to  comfort 
me.  His  encouraging  and  instructive  conversation,  and  his  fer 
vent  prayer,  cannot  soon  be  forgotten."  I  had  addressed  a 
letter  to  that  association,  to  which  Mr.  Mason  brought  me  a 
kind  and  sympathizing  answer;  this  was  the  more  gratifying, 
as  some  of  the  ministers  of  that  body  were  opposed  to  the 
general  missionary  operations  of  the  day.  They  said,  "We 
often  cast  an  eye  to  Fort  Wayne,  and  sympathize  with  you  and 
our  sister,  who,  we  believe,  are  suffering  many  privations ;  and 
we  think,  also,  that  there  is  not  one  minister  in  our  association 
but  what  would  use  all  the  influence  he  has  for  the  benefit  of 
your  establishment,  if  he  could  do  it  without  having  any  sort 
of  connection  with  .  .  .  ."  [others.] 

The  matters  of  the  board  of  missions  were,  at  this  time,  in 
their  incipient  stages,  and  persons  a  thousand  miles  from  them 
could  not  easily  foresee  that  their  treasury  would  continue  to 
be  amply  replenished.  Mr.  Mason,  whose  opinion  was  worth 
something,  believed  that  if  the  want  of  funds  should  prevent 
the  board  from  continuing  to  us  their  patronage,  the  people  of 
the  west  would  nevertheless  amply  sustain  us.  This  was  sea 
sonable  consolation,  in  view  of  the  fears  we  had  felt  on  the 
subject  of  support. 

While  I  was  at  Piqua,  Mr.  Daniel  Dusenbury  reached  that 
place  on  his  way  from  Zanesville,  Ohio,  to  Fort  Wayne,  with 
the  view  of  becoming  a  missionary.  I  had  held  a  correspond 
ence  with  him  on  the  subject  for  some  time  previous,  and  had 
remitted  to  him  money  to  meet  his  expenses  in  travelling 
to  us. 

On  the  18th  I  put  a  bed  in  a  wagon,  on  which  I  was  placed, 
and  set  out  to  return  to  our  family,  having  in  company  Mr. 
Dusenbury,  two  females  hired  to  labour  in  the  family,  and  a 
Mrs.  Hars,  a  lady  resident  at  Fort  Wayne.  The  first  day  of 
our  journey  the  lady  was  attacked  with  fever,  and  becoming  un- 


164 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


able  to  proceed,  I  mounted  a  horse  and  left  with  her  the  wagon, 
to  enable  her  to  return.  By  travelling  carefully,  and  sometimes 
resting  by  the  side  of  the  road,  I  was  enabled  to  arrive  at 
Fort  Wayne  on  the  21st. 

While  I  was  deeply  affected  with  the  sight  of  so  many  pale 
faces  in  our  family,  1  was  thankful  that  all  whom  I  had  left  were 
still  living.  Mr.  Benjamin  Sears  and  some  of  my  children  were 
still  exceedingly  low;  the  health  of  Mrs.  McCoy  and  many 
others  had  improved,  but  Mr.  Lykins  had  been  confined  with 
fever  almost  all  the  time  that  I  had  been  absent. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Indian  murders.  Failure  of  a  missionary.  Mission  family 
rules.  Erection  of  mission  buildings.  Death  of  Mr.  B. 
Sears.  Removal  to  the  St.  Joseph's  river.  The  school  re 
sumed.  Want  of  supplies  of  bread  stuff .  Sickness.  Benevo 
lence  of  Christians  in  support  of  the  mission. 

•   .;••  >>h  -jj]'.5-.    ;    9$(    tl  ,fffl  ••>!"/'..-> -.;!;"!£#•'•,*  , IHO'Y 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1822,  an  annuity  was  paid  to  the 
Miamies,  at  which  time  the  readiness  of  those  who  had  con 
tracted  debts,  by  the  erection  of  fences,  buildings,  &c.,  to  pay  for 
the  same  as  soon  as  they  received  their  money,  indicated  a 
pleasing  disposition  on  their  part  to  improve  their  condition  by 
adopting  agricultural  pursuits.  I  addressed  them  on  subjects 
relating  to  missions,  but,  on  account  of  the  indifference  of  the 
United  States'  agent  in  regard  to  the  improvement  of  the  con 
dition  of  the  Miamies,  I  was  unable  to  accomplish  much  at  this 
interview  with  them :  this  I  felt  to  be  a  sore  disappointment. 

On  Sunday,  the  29th  of  September,  though  too  feeble  to 
stand,  I  was  enabled  to  preach  from  my  chair. 

It  was  the  5th  of  October  before  the  Indians,  who  had  been 
called  in  to  Fort  Wayne  to  receive  their  annuity,  had  generally 
returned  to  their  respective  homes.  During  their  stay  near  us, 
they  murdered  six  of  their  number,  some  of  whom  we  assisted 
them  to  bury.  Several  horses  were  also  stolen  from  other  In 
dians,  and  from  the  whites.  Mr.  Dusenbury,  who  was  unknown 
to  the  Indians,  rode  to  a  neighbouring  house,  and  on  coming 
out  to  mount  his  horse,  discovered  that  it  had  been  stolen  in 
daylight  by  two  Indians  who  had  seen  him  alight.  We  sent 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


165 


with  him  one  of  our  Indian  pupils  and  a  white  man,  who  reco 
vered  the  horse  in  a  secret  place,  where  he  had  been  tied. 

In  the  midst  of  our  severe  afflictions,  when  we  had  about  forty 
sick  persons  in  our  family,  Mr.  John  Sears  resolved  to  leave 
the  mission.  That,  under  our  peculiarly  trying  circumstances, 
he  should  become  disheartened,  and  should  feel  inclined  to 
abandon  the  field,  was  not  surprising ;  it  was  his  misfortune, 
but  not  his  crime.  Could  he  have  consented  to  assign  what 
was  probably  the  true  cause  of  his  desire  to  leave,  as  other 
missionaries  who  had  previously  left  had  candidly  done,  he 
would  like  them  have  retired  with  credit,  and  with  the  sym 
pathies  of  all  acquainted  with  the  circumstances  ;  but  he  seemed 
unwilling  to  admit  that  the  privations  of  missionaries  to  these 
Indians  had  much  weight  in  inducing  his  design  to  leave ;  and 
in  seeking  for  what  he  esteemed  more  honourable  pretexts,  he 
erred  to  his  own  injury. 

I  had  made  arrangements  with  his  Excellency  Governour  Cass, 
for  the  erection  of  precisely  such  buildings  for  Mr.  Sears  among 
the  Ottawas,  as  I  expected  for  myself  and  others  among  the 
Putawatornies.  He  desired  better  houses ;  and  when  informed 
that  our  missionary  funds  were  too  low  to  justify  greater  expense 
than  that  which  had  been  proposed,  the  greater  part  of  which 
we  hoped  to  get  from  Government,  he  proposed  borrowing  five 
hundred  dollars  to  improve  his  buildings — a  measure  which 
aside  from  all  other  considerations,  our  poverty  forbid.  .IK; 

For  reasons  not  necessary  to  mention  here,  I  had  supposed 
that  it  would  be  greatly  to  our  disadvantage  as  it  respected  our 
connection  with  Government,  our  dealings  with  neighbouring 
citizens  for  supplies  and  labour,  and  our  reputation  among  the 
Indians,  for  it  to  become  generally  known  that  we  were  greatly 
embarrassed  for  want  of  funds.  We  always  contrived  to  meet 
our  engagements,  and  none,  except  Mr.  Lykins,  was  at  that 
time  fully  aware  of  the  fears  which  were  felt  that  the  missiona 
ries  would  have  to  provide  for  their  own  support.  The  board 
had  resolved  that  all  the  expenditures  of  the  mission,  so  far  as 
their  funds  were  concerned,  should  be  made  under  my  responsi 
bility.  When  this  proposition  to  borrow  funds  for  the  erection 
of  buildings  was  made  by  Mr.  Sears,  in  order  to  satisfy  him  that 
I  did  not  act  from  unkind  feelings  towards  him,  I  acquainted  him 
with  my  fears  that  the  board  would  not  find  it  convenient  to 
amply  sustain  us,  and  therefore  we  were  obliged  to  economize. 
To  my  great  mortification,  Mr.  Sears  very  soon  disclosed  the 
state  of  our  poverty,  and  our  anxiety  about  future  support,  to 
an  officer  of  Government.  This  gentleman,  however,  without 


166 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


using  the  information  to  our  disadvantage,  gave  me  early  notice 
of  the  fact,  and  advised  me  in  future  not  to  intrust  confidential 
matter  to  Mr.  Sears. 

He  next  concluded  that  he  must  study  medicine  before  he 
could  go  further  into  the  wilderness,  and  consequently  further 
from  medical  aid,  and  for  this  purpose  wished  to  take  up  his 
residence  immediately  in  Detroit.  But  here  he  was  again  re 
minded  of  our  want  of  funds.  I  did  most  earnestly  desire  him 
to  go  to  the  Ottawa  station  without  delay,  as  he  had  been  com 
missioned  to  do  by  the  Government.  Every  thing,  almost,  was 
in  readiness  for  him  to  begin,  and  that  without  much,  if  any,  cost 
to  the  board  of  missions.  Arrangements  had  been  made  for 
the  erection  of  buildings  for  himself  and  the  blacksmith,  for  the 
employment  of  a  smith,  the  procuring  of  smith's  tools,  iron, 
steel,  &c.,  and  carpenter's  tools.  I  had  purchased  two  good 
yokes  of  oxen  and  a  first  rate  wagon,  all  at  the  expense  of  Gov 
ernment  ;  that  is,  Government  was  ready  to  assume  the  cost 
of  these  things  so  soon  as  operations  were  commenced  on  the 
ground.  Then,  there  would  be  his  own  salary  of  four  hundred 
dollars  a  year  towards  meeting  current  expenses.  A  more 
favourable  opening,  and  more  suitable  preparations,  I  supposed 
had  never  been  presented  to  a  missionary  to  the  Indians ;  but 
he  could  not  be  prevailed  on  to  go  to  the  station. 

We  had  no  missionary  to  take  his  place,  and  remain  at  the 
station.  In  order,  therefore,  to  satisfy  him,  if  possible,  and  de 
tain  him  until  a  more  healthful  state  of  the  mission,  and  a  little 
more  experience  of  matters  in  the  wilderness  might  inspire  him 
with  more  courage,  I  proposed  to  him  to  remain  in  our  present 
place  for  some  months  longer,  and  study  medicine  under  a  phy 
sician  who  had  taken  up  his  residence  in  the  neighbourhood. 
Here  he  could  study  without  any  additional  cost  on  account  of 
house  rent  or  living.  To  this  he  almost  consented,  but  in  a  few 
days  abandoned  the  scheme,  and  resolved  on  leaving  the  country 
as  soon  as  possible.  I  also  proposed  to  him  to  take  his  station 
at  Massassinawa,  among  the  Miamies,  where  we  were  desirous 
to  establish  a  mission,  and  lacked  only  a  man  to  take  the  place. 
This  would  be  much  nearer  to  the  white  settlements  than  either 
the  Putawatomie  or  the  Ottawa  station.  A  great  many  of  our 
scholars  were  Miamies,  and  would  unite  with  him  there,  and  I 
had  secured  the  promise  of  pecuniary  assistance  from  Govern 
ment,  in  the  event  of  establishing  a  mission  in  that  place  ;  but  he 
would  not  consent  to  go.'  7:59? 

My  relation  to  the  board  made  it  my  duty  to  report  to  them 
every  item  of  expenditure  on  account  of  the  mission,  and  all 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  167 

receipts.  Hence,  when  missionaries  arrived,  their  expenses  for 
outfit  and  travelling  were  reported  by  them  to  me,  together  with 
the  sums  received  by  them,  either  from  the  board  or  from  others. 
Mr.  Sears  was  more  than  once  reminded  of  these  regulations,  but 
declined  submitting  any  such  statement.  The  horse  and  car 
nage,  and  several  boxes  of  articles  needed  at  the  Ottawa  station, 
which  he  had  brought  to  Fort  Wayne,  he  retained  in  his  own 
possession,  and  afterwards  removed  or  disposed  of  as  his  own 
private  property.  It  was,  however,  much  to  our  satisfaction  to 
hear  Mr.  Sears  say,  at  our  parting,  in  presence  of  Mr.  Dusen- 
bury,  that  my  wife  and  I  had  always  treated  them  with  kind 
ness  and  respect,  and  that  with  our  deportment  towards  them 
they  were  well  satisfied.  Similar  sentiments,  in  a  fuller  express 
ion,  he  subsequently  communicated  in  a  letter  to  our  friend  B. 
B.  Kerchevall,  Esq.,  of  Fort  Wayne.  Though  Mr.  Sears  and 
I  differed  widely  in  opinion  respecting  the  propriety  of  measures, 
we  were  far  from  indulging  a  quarrelsome  spirit  towards  each 
other. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sears  left  Fort  Wayne  on  the  26th  of  Novem 
ber,  1822.  He  proceeded  to  Philadelphia,  the  seat  of  the 
board  of  missions,  which  place  he  reached  before  any  communi 
cation  from  me,  announcing  his  departure.  The  subsequent 
history  of  this  affair  can  best  be  given  in  the  following  extracts 
of  a  letter  to  me,  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Staughton,  corresponding 
secretary  of  the  board  : 

"  Philadelphia,  April  2,  1823. 

"  MY  DEAR  BROTHER  McCoy  :  I  think  I  know  the  heart  of  a 
missionary,  and  I  arn  sure  I  am  no  stranger  to  his  trials.  I  am 
happy  the  Lord  has  supported  you  under  so  many,  and  trust  he 
will  sustain  you  to  the  end.  I  never  thought  your  selection  of 
the  Rev.  John  Sears,  to  be  your  associate  in  missionary  service,, 
a  happy  one.  I  have  no  reason  to  believe  he  is  otherwise 
than  a  real  Christian,  but  all  Christians  are  not  qualified  foe 
missionaries. 

"  In  January  last,  Mr.  Sears  came  with  his  wife  to  Philadel 
phia.  I  was  at  that  time  in  deep  affliction,  having  lost,  by 
death,  my  inestimable  companion,  with  whom  I  had  lived  thirty 
years. 

"Perceiving  that  Mr.  Sears  was  privately  prejudicing  the  mem 
bers  of  the  board  against  the  Fort  Wayne  mission,  I  had  called  a 
meeting  of  the  board  on  the  17th  of  January,  when  he  was  re 
quested  to  be  present.  He  was  full  of  complaining.  He  told  the 
board  that  he  entertained  as  high  an  idea  as  ever  of  the  piety, 


168 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


zeal,  and  devotedness  of  brother  McCoy,  and  yet  it  came  out  at 
last  that  he  complained  that  *  *  *  *  [Here  follow  twenty- 
seven  counts,  or  complaints.] 

"  The  full  confidence  I  have  ever  entertained  in  you  led  me 
to  make  such  a  reply  to  these  charges  as  was  by  no  means  ac 
ceptable  to  Mr.  Sears ;  but  the  evidence  itself  is,  in  several  in 
stances,  so  contradictory,  that  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  cover  the  fault 
finder  with  the  shame  it  appeared  to  me  that  he  deserved.  He 
even  condescended  to  particulars  that  it  was  no  less  unmanly 
than  ungodly  to  have  uttered.  I  took,  on  the  occasion,  the 
charges  hastily  from  his  lips,  and  it  is  only  at  the  direction  of 
the  board  that  1  copy  them,  and  transmit  them  to  you. 

"  The  board  at  this  meeting  passed  merely  the  following 
minute : 

"  '  Brother  John  Sears  made  a  verbal  statement  of  his  difficul 
ties  and  dissatisfaction  in  relation  to  the  Fort  Wayne  mission. 
The  board  suspend  their  judgment  until  they  hear  from  brother 
McCoy.  A  draft  of  thirty  dollars  was  ordered  in  his  favour,  to 
help  him  on  to  New- York.' 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  board,  February  2d,  1823,  your  letter 
having  reached  me,  the  following  minute  and  resolutions  were 
passed:  'A  letter  was  received  from  brother  McCoy,  on  the 
subject  of  the  Rev.  John  Sears's  retiring  from  Fort  Wayne,  on 
which, — 

"  ( 1st.  Resolved,  That  this  board  sympathize  with  brother 
Sears,  under  the  afflictions  he  has  sustained  in  the  loss  of  his 
father  and  brother.* 

"  '  2d.  Resolved,  That  the  measures  adopted  in  the  whole  of 
this  case,  by  brother  McCoy,  appear  to  have  been  wise  and 
salutary,  but  that  the  board  will  communicate  to  brother  McCoy 
the  objections  raised  by  Mr.  Sears  against  the  economy  of  the 
mission. 

"  <  3d.  Resolved,  That  the  Rev.  Mr.  Sears  is  at  liberty  to  re 
tire  from  missionary  service  under  the  board,  his  mind  appearing 
disinclined  to  the  privations  which  evangelical  labours  among 
the  aborigines  of  our  country  essentially  require. 

"  '  4th.  Resolved,  That  Mr.  Sears  be  requested  to  furnish  the 
board,  as  early  as  may  be,  with  a  full  account  of  his  receipts  and 
expenditures  while  in  their  service. 

"  (  5th.  Resolved,  That  the  corresponding  secretary  is  in- 

*  This  was  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Sears,  an  account  of  which 
will  be  given  pressntly.  The  elder  Mr.  Sears,  who  had  accompanied  his 
sons  to  the  field  of  their  labours,  died  at  Delaware,  in  Ohio,  on  his  return  to 
New- York. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


169 


structed  to  communicate   the  preceding  resolutions  to  brother 
McCoy  and  brother  Sears.' 

"  A  special  meeting  of  the  board  was  held  on  Friday,  the  14th 
of  March,  from  which  I  have  the  pleasure  of  making  the  follow 
ing  extracts  : 

"  'A  letter  dated  St.  Joseph's,  January  25,  1823,  was  received 
from  brother  McCoy,  containing  his  journal  from  February  9, 
1822,  to  January  24,  1823.  Resolved,  That  the  board  very 
sincerely  and  affectionately  sympathize  with  their  brother  in  all 
his  trials  and  deep  afflictions,  and  trust  that  the  God  of  all  con 
solation  will  continue  to  be  his  support  in  every  work  of  faith  and 
labour  of  love.  The  board,  under  the  influence  of  these  feel 
ings,  rejoice  that  their  brother  is  pleased  with  the  situation  in 
which  he  now  lives,  and  hope  that  the  blessings  of  heaven  from 
above,  as  well  as  those  from  the  earth  beneath,  may  ever  rest  on 
him  and  all  the  mission  family.' 

•"  Let  none  of  the  foregoing  communications  prevent  you  from 
drawing  on  the  board  for  such  sums  as  your  necessities  shall  re 
quire.  I  believe  the  board  are  wholly  satisfied  with  what  you 
have  done  and  are  doing.  I  pray  the  Lord  may  support  you. 
Let  none  of  these  things  move.  If  God  approve,  all  will  be 
well — -forever  so.  My  children  unite  in  love.  Let  me  hear 
soon  from  you.  Your  affectionate  brother, 

"  WM.  STAUGHTON." 

•'ft*?"'1. 

We  now  return  to  affairs  immediately  at  the  missionary  esta 
blishment. 

October  5th,  1S22.  As  the  Miamies,  at  the  recent  pay 
ment  of  money  to  them,  had'  been  furnished  with  whiskey 
largely,  our  society  for  the  suppression  of  this  practice  held  a 
meeting  to  inquire  into  this  matter.  On  my  return  home  from  the 
meeting,  I  was  met  by  Legro,  a  principal  chief  of  the  Miamies, 
who,  with  some  sarcastic  ceremony,  addressed  me  as  follows : 

"  My  father,  some  time  ago  you  had  a  meeting,  and  stopped 
the  whiskey  ;  no  Indian  could  get  a  dram.  This  was  a  very 
good  thing ;  it  is  bad  to  get  drunk.  But,  my  father,  the  Indians 
at  that  time  had  no  money,  and  so  you  was  good  enough  to  stop 
the  whiskey.  A  few  days  ago,  when  the  Indians  received  their 
money,  they  got  drunk,  fought,  and  killed  each  other.  You 
could  see  my  people's  blood  running  in  the  street,  but  you  could 
not  then  withhold  the  whiskey,  because  we  had  money.  Now 
my  people  have  left  this  place,  there  is  no  money  here,  and  so 
1  understand  you  have  had  a  meeting  to-day,  to  prevent  Indians- 
22 


470 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


from  getting  whiskey.    Now,  my  father,  we  discover  the  advan 
tages  of  education  !" 

In  February  of  the  present  year,  "  Family  Rules,"  so  called, 
were  framed,  in  imitation  of  the  Baptist  missionaries  at  Seram- 
pore.  In  consequence  of  Mr.  Clyde's  retiring  from  missionary 
service,  the  subject  slept  until  after  the  departure  of  Mr.  Jack 
son,  when  those  rules  were  adopted  and  subscribed  ;  but  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Sears,  being  at  that  time  inclined  also  to  leave  the 
mission,  declined  subscribing. 

"  General  Rules  for  the  Fort  Wayne  Mission  Family. 

"  We,  whose  names  follow,  being  appointed  missionaries  to 
the  Indians  by  the  General  Convention  of  the  Baptist  denomi 
nation  for  missions,  deem  it  expedient  for  our  comfort  and  use 
fulness  to  adopt,  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  the  following  general 
rules  for  the  regulation  of  the  mission  family,  viz : 

"  1st.  We  agree  that  our  object  in  becoming  missionaries  is 
to  meliorate  the  condition  of  the  Indians,  and  not  to  serve  our 
selves.  Therefore, 

"  2d.  We  agree  that  our  whole  time,  talents,  and  labours, 
shall  be  dedicated  to  the  obtaining  of  this  object,  and  shall  all 
be  bestowed  gratis,  so  that,  the  mission  cannot  become  indebted 
to  any  missionary  for  his  or  her  services. 

"3d.  We  agree  that  all  remittances  from  the  board  of  mis 
sions,  and  all  money  and  property  accruing  to  any  of  us,  by 
salaries  from  Government,  by  smith  shops,  by  schools,  by  dona 
tions,  or  from  whatever  quarter  it  may  arise,  shall  be  thrown 
into  the  common  missionary  fund,  and  be  sacredly  applied  to 
the  cause  of  this  mission ;  and  that  no  part  of  the  property 
held  by  us  at  our  stations  is  ours,  or  belongs  to  any  of  us,  but 
it  belongs  to  the  General  Convention  which  we  serve,  and  is 
held  in  trust  by  us,  so  long  as  said  society  shall  continue  us  in 
their  employment :  Provided  that  nothing  herein  contained  shall 
affect  the  right  of  any  to  private  inheritance,  &ic. 

"  4th.  We  agree  to  obey  the  instructions  of  our  patrons, 
and  that  the  superintendent  shall  render  to  them,  from  time  to 
time,  accounts  of  our  plans,  proceedings,  prospects,  receipts, 
and  expenditures ;  and  that  the  accounts  of  the  mission,  together 
with  the  mission  records,  shall  at  all  times  be  open  for  the  in 
spection  of  any  of  the  missionaries. 

"5th.  We  agree  that  all  members  of  the  mission  family 
have  equal  claims  upon  the  mission  for  equal  support  in  similar 
circumstances ;  the  claims  of  widows  and  orphans  not  to  be  in 
the  least  affected  by  the  death  of  the  head  of  the  family. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  171 

"6th.  We  agree  that  when  any  missionary  shall  not  find 
employment  in  his  particular  branch  of  business,  it  shall  be  his 
duty  to  engage  in  some  other  branch  of  business,  as  circum 
stances  shall  dictate. 

"  7th.  We  agree  that,  agreeably  to  their  strength  and  ability, 
all  the  female  missionaries  should  bear  an  equal  part  of  the  bur 
den  of  domestic  labours  and  cares,  lest  some  should  sink  under 
the  weight  of  severe  and  unremitted  exertions ;  making  the 
necessary  allowances  for  the  school  mistress. 

"8th.  We  agree  to  be  industrious,  frugal,  and  economical, 
at  all  times,  to  the  utmost  extent  of  our  abilities. 

"  9th.  We  agree  that  missionaries  labouring  at  the  different 
stations  belonging  to  this  mission  are  under  the  same  obligations 
to  each  other,  as  though  resident  in  the  same  establishment. 

"  10th.  We  agree  that  it  is  the  duty  of  missionaries  to  meet 
statedly  at  their  respective  stations,  for  the  purposes  of  preserv 
ing  peace  and  harmony  among  themselves,  of  cherishing  kind 
ness  and  love  for  each  other,  love  to  God,  and  zeal  in  the  cause 
of  missions. 

"  llth.  We  agree  to  feel  one  general  concern  for  the  sue* 
cess  of  every  department  of  the  mission,  for  the  happiness  of 
every  member  of  the  mission  family,  and  to  feed  at  one  common 
table,  except  in  cases  of  bad  health,  &tc.,  in  whi^h  cases  the 
persons  thus  indisposed  shall  receive  special  attention,  and  shall 
be  made  as  comfortable  as  our  situation  will  admit. 

"  12th.  We  agree  to  cherish  a  spirit  of  kindness  and  for 
bearance  for  each  other,  and,  as  the  success  of  our  labours 
depends  on  the  good  providence  of  God,  it  is  our  duty  to  live 
near  to  him  in  public  and  private  devotion,  and  to  walk  before 
him  with  fear,  and  in  the  integrity  of  our  hearts,  conscious  that 
he  ever  sees  us,  and  that  by  him  actions  are  weighed  ;  realizing 
that  we  are,  at  best,  only  instruments  in  his  hand,  and  hoping 
that  when  we  shall  have  finished  the  work  given  us  to  do,  we 
shall  dwell  together  in  heaven,  in  company  with  fellow-labourers 
from  other  parts  of  the  vineyard,  and  with  those  for  whom  we 
are  now  strangers  and  sufferers  in  this  wilderness,  and,  to  crown 
our  happiness,  shall  gaze  eternally  on  Him  whose  religion  we 
are  now  endeavouring  to  propagate,  to  whom  shall  be  ascribed 
all  the  glory  of  the  accomplishment  of  our  present  undertaking. 

"  ISAAC  McCoy, 
"CHRISTIANA  McCoy, 
"  JOHNSTON  LYKINS, 
"  DANIEL  DUSENBURY. 
d#  February  15,  1822." 


172  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

Signed  at  different  times,  as  missionaries  connected  themselves 
with  the  mission. 

The  foregoing  rules  were  submitted  to  the  inspection  of  the 
board  of  missions,  which  body,  on  the  14th  of  March,  1822, 
passed  the  following  minute  and  resolution  in  relation  to  them : 
"  The  Family  Rules  (forwarded  by  Mr.  McCoy)  of  the  mis 
sion  having  been  twice  carefully  read,  Resolved,  That  the  said 
rules  meet  the  full  and  decided  approbation  of  the  board." 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  Family  Rules,  so  called,  became  not 
only  an  article  of  agreement  between  the  missionaries  them 
selves,  but  also  a  written  contract  between  the  missionaries  of 
the  one   part,  and  the  board  of  missions  of  the  other  part. 
These  engagements  placed  the  missionary  beyond  the  influence 
of  temptation  to  worldly  mindedness ;  for  whatever  he  might 
receive  for  services  rendered  the  Government,  or  from   indi 
viduals  or  societies,  or  directly  from  the  board,  no  part  of  it  was 
his  own ;  he  was  charged  with  it,  and  was  liable  for  it  to  the 
board,  until  he  expended  it  according  to  their  directions.     He 
was  entitled  to  nothing  more  than  his  current  support.     If  he 
should  become  deficient  in  economy  or  usefulness,  it  was  the 
business  of  the  board  to  dismiss  him,  at  which  time  he  went  out 
empty.     This  policy  effectually  stopped  the  mouths  of  the  ma 
licious  and  the  ignorant,  who,  not  having  ever  felt  the  influence 
of  disinterested  benevolence,  might  be  disposed  to  attribute  the 
toils  of  missionaries  to  a  desire  to  accumulate  property.     By 
this  agreement,  every  body  perceived  that  they  could  not  in 
crease  their  property,  for  they  held  none  of  their  own  at  the 
station,  and  all  their  receipts  and  expenditures  were  examined 
by  their  patrons,  the  board  of  missions. 

It  may  be  well  to  remark  in  this  place,  that  while  the  for 
mula  by  which  it  may  be  done  may  differ  in  relation  to  other 
Baptist  missionaries,  and  to  missionaries  of  other  denominations, 
the  relation  between  them  and  their  patrons,  respectively,  is 
formed  upon  the  same  principle  as  the  above ;  that  is,  that  the 
missionary  is  to  receive  nothing  more  than  his  current  support, 
and  is  liable  to  be  dismissed  at  the  pleasure  of  his  patrons,  at 
which  time  he  can  claim  no  more  than  his  necessary  clothing. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  1822,  Mr.  Lykins,  having  so  far  re 
covered  his  health  as  to  be  able  to  ride  on  horseback,  set  out  on 
a  journey  to  Vincennes,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
miles,  on  business  of  the  mission,  and  for  the  purpose  of  settling 
some  business  of  his  own.  On  the  following  day  a  company 
of  us  left  Fort  Wayne  for  our  new  station  on  the  St.  Joseph's, 
with  the  design  to  erect  buildings,  after  the  erection  of  which, 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


173 


the  remainder  of  the  family  would  be  conveyed  thither.  Our 
company  consisted  of  Mr.  Jackson  and  family,  four  hired  men, 
my  eldest  son.  Rice,  who  was  but  a  lad,  and  several  of  the 
Indian  part  of  our  family  ;  in  all,  twenty-two  persons.  We  had 
two  ox  wagons,  and  one  drawn  by  four  horses  ;  and  we  also 
drove  four  milch  cows.  The  day  was  rainy  and  unfavourable. 
Mr.  Jackson  was  sick,  and  scarcely  able  to  proceed,  and  we  were 
travelling  in  a  wilderness,  where  of  course  we  had  to  sleep 
every  night  without  a  house. 

The  following  are  extracts  from  our  journal : 

"  October  the  10th.  One  of  our  best  hands  was  sick.  The 
day  rainy.  The  following  was  another  wet  day.  We  broke 
one  of  our  wagons,  and  spent  half  a  day  in  the  wet  bushes  re 
pairing  it.  One  of  the  wagoners  was  taken  sick,  and  I  mounted 
the  horses  and  drove  the  team  myself. 

"  October  the  12th.  Capsized  one  of  the  wagons,  with  two 
of  our  Indian  pupils  in  it,  but  without  much  injury  to  persons 
or  property.  A  few  hours  later  in  the  day  we  mired  an  ox, 
and  crippled  him  so  severely  that  we  left  him  on  the  road;  the 
Indians  soon  afterwards  butchered  and  ate  him.  This  was  a 
great  misfortune,  as  we  had  now  one  yoke  of  oxen  less  than 
before,  when  we  had  scarcely  been  able  to  proceed  with  our 
loads. 

"  Sunday,  October  13th.  Found  ourselves  in  an  unsuitable 
place  to  detain  the  teams.  Proceeded  a  few  miles,  found 
better  grass  for  our  cattle  and  horses,  and  encamped  and 
spent  the  Sabbath  in  the  wilderness.  The  health  of  our  sick 
improving. 

"  October  14th.  Mrs.  Jackson  and  an  Indian  woman  were 
quite  indisposed.  1  had  to  take  hold  and  assist  in  cooking  my 
self.  On  the  16th,  we  pitched  our  tents  within  five  miles 
of  the  principal  Putawatomie  settlements,  and  on  the  day 
following  I  had  an  audience  of  the  chiefs,  at  which  time 
the  place  for  the  erection  of  our  buildings  was  finally  agreed 
upon. 

"  October  19th.  While  it  rained  on  us  incessantly,  we  moved 
to  the  site  selected  for  the  establishment.  This  was  an  un 
pleasant  though  short  travel  through  the  wet  grass  and  bushes. 
All  the  men  were  as  wet  as  if  they  had  been  drenched  in  a  river, 
and  were  trembling  with  cold.  We  were,  however,  not  long  in 
pitching  our  tents  and  in  kindling  a  large  fire,  although  it  was 
done  amidst  a  falling  rain,  so  that  our  condition  was  soon  very 
much  improved." 

Our  location  was  about  one  hundred  miles  from  Fort  Wayne, 


174 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


at  which  place  were  the  nearest  white  inhabitants.  We  were 
about  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  from  any  thing  like  a  set 
tled  country,  and  one  hundred  and  ninety  miles  from  a  flouring 
mill.  This  place  was,  by  the  board,  denominated  Carey,  and 
the  station  among  the  Ottawas  was  called  Thomas,  out  of  re 
spect  for  the  celebrated  Baptist  missionaries  of  these  names  who 
first  penetrated  Hindostan.  On  the  20th,  I  preached  to  our  little 
company  in  our  tents,  while  the  rain  was  falling  rapidly  around 
us.  The  following  day  I  sent  a  man  and  one  of  the  teams 
back  to  Fort  Wayne,  with  my  son  in  company.  We  immedi 
ately  set  about  the  erection  of  buildings,  and  our  work  went  on 
rapidly.  For  the  encouragement  of  others,  I  took  hold  myself, 
though  I  was  unable  to  do  much. 

November  llth.  1  took  an  Indian  lad,  and  set  off  to  re 
turn  to  my  family,  from  whom  I  had  not  heard  for  twenty-nine 
days.  At  a  distance  of  five  miles  I  met  a  letter  from  my  son, 
which  informed  me  that  Mrs.  McCoy  had  again  been  confined 
to  her  bed  by  a  fever.  This  was  the  third  attack  which  she 
had  suffered  that  summer  and  autumn.  On  the  second  day's 
journey,  night  overtook  us  in  an  unsuitable  place  for  encamping. 
We  had  no  axe,  and  could  not  procure  much  wood.  In  the 
night  it  commenced  raining  upon  us,  and  the  wind  blew  up  cold. 
I  laboured  some  time  to  resuscitate  the  fire,  but  could  not  make 
enough  to  warm  my  feet.  We  were  obliged  to  submit  to  our 
uncomfortable  condition  on  the  ground  until  morning,  and  then 
we  set  out  amidst  a  rain  and  severe  wind,  trembling  with  cold 
as  with  an  ague.  The  Indian  boy  was  on  foot,  and  bore  the 
storm  with  less  inconvenience  than  I  did.  I  wrapped  my  wet 
blankets  about  me  on  my  horse,  but  still  felt  like  perishing. 
About  eight  o'clock  we  found  a  deserted  Indian  camp,  where, 
sheltered  by  a  piece  of  bark,  we  kindled  a  fire,  and  took  some 
refreshment.  We  reached  home  the  same  evening.  All  the 
sick  were  convalescent,  except  Mr.  Benjamin  Sears.  Mr.  Du- 
senbury,  Mrs.  McCoy,  and  four  of  our  children,  had  been 
•much  afflicted,  and  their  sufferings  were  increased  by  the 
absence  of  Mr.  Lykins. 

Circumstances  allowed  me  to  remain  with  my  family  a  few 
days  only.  On  the  19th  of  November  I  set  out  upon  a  jour 
ney  to  Ohio,  which  was  indispensable  before  the  rest  of  our 
family  removed  to  the  St.  Joseph's.  From  this  tour  I  did  not 
return  until  the  first  of  December,  by  which  time  the  weather 
had  become  cold.  On  the  last  day  of  our  journey  the 
snow  on  the  bushes  in  the  wilderness  rendered  travelling  very 
unpleasant.  I  cut  my  saddle  blanket  in  two,  to  wrap  up  my 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


175 


feet.  Before  we  reached  Fort  Wayne  I  had  great  fears  that  a 
footman  in  company  would  freeze.  I  furnished  him  with  the 
means  of  making  fire,  and  was  compelled  to  leave  him  behind, 
and  dash  forward,  to  prevent  one  of  our  Indian  pupils  we  had  in 
company  from  perishing.  We  all  got  safe  to  our  fire-side  that 
night. 

Mr.  Benjamin  Sears,  who  had  long  languished  under  a  typhus 
fever,  had  died  on  the  3d  of  November,  1822.  He  was  a 
son  of  the  late  Rev.  Benjamin  and  Ann  Sears,  was  born  in 
Meredith,  New- York,  June  16,  1800.  Was  baptized  in  the 
summer  of  1815.  Subsequently  he  was  led  to  desire,  most 
earnestly,  to  dedicate  his  whole  life  to  the  service  of  God.  But 
he  discovered  no  opening  to  a  sphere  of  usefulness  until  after 
the  appointment  of  his  brother  to  missionary  service,  when  he 
learned  the  want  of  missionaries  at  this  station. 

He  had  been  bred  a  farmer,  and  was  robust,  and  hoped  to  be 
useful  to  the  natives  by  instructing  them  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
as  well  as  in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  He  made  no  pre 
tensions  to  the  ministry.  He  reached  our  place  on  the  first  of 
August,  1822.  His  application  to  become  united  with  us  was 
cheerfully  accepted,  and  the  approbation  of  the  board  of  mis 
sions  applied  for.  But  their  answer  was  not  received  previous 
to  his  decease. 

He  was  permitted  to  labour  with  us  only  twenty-three  days, 
before  he  was  prostrated  with  the  prevailing  fever,  which  termi 
nated  his  life.  He  was  favoured  with  the  attendance  of  physi 
cians,  and  was  made  as  comfortable  as  our  distressed  situation 
would  admit.  More  than  two  months  he  was  unable  to  turn 
himself  in  bed,  and  he  became  reduced  to  a  skeleton.  It  was 
a  great  consolation  to  know  that  under  his  deep  afflictions  he 
exercised  a  patience  and  resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  that  in 
dicated  much  spiritual  mindedness.  His  desire  to  be  useful  to 
the  Indians  seemed  not  to  be  impaired  by  disease.  And  when 
his  prospect  of  being  spared  to  labour  for  them  was  blighted,  he 
directed  that  his  clothing,  and  whatever  else  of  small  articles  of 
which  he  had  control,  should  be  applied  to  the  benefit  of  the 
mission,  either  among  the  Ottawas  or  the  Putawatomies.  In 
prospect  of  death,  his  hopes  of  a  blessed  eternity  remained  firm 
and  unshaken :  with  humble  confidence  he  rested  his  hopes 
for  salvation  on  Christ  alone.  He  retained  his  senses  until  the 
last,  and  appeared  to  be  unmoved  when  it  was  intimated  to  him 
that  his  end  was  near. 

He  was  decently  interred  by  the  side  of  our  Elizabeth,  who 


176 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


had  died  the  preceding  August.     There  rests  his  dust,  while 
his  soul,  no  doubt,  rests  in  heaven. 

We  were  now  preparing  to  take  the  last  of  our  family  to  our 
new  station.  On  the  8th,  I  preached  a  kind  of  farewell  dis 
course.  Most  of  our  white  neighbours  about  Fort  Wayne 
were  irreligious ;  nevertheless,  their  kind  attentions  to  us  during 
our  whole  stay  at  that  place,  and  the  affection  indicated  at  our 
parting,  made  a  deep  impression  upon  our  hearts,  which  we  yet 
feel ;  and,  while  speaking  of  them,  we  can  scarcely  repress  a  de 
sire  to  record  here  a  list  of  their  names,  as  evidence  of  our  last 
ing  remembrance  of  their  kindness.  May  the  Lord  reward 
them  ! 

At  this  time,  Tohtauneneng,  a  Miamie  chief,  of  Turtle's  town, 
brought  a  little  boy  whom  he  wished  us  to  educate,  but  he  was 
unwilling  that  he  should  go  into  the  country  of  the  Putawato- 
mies.  He  inquired  how  much  land  the  Putawatomies  had  given 
for  a  site  for  the  mission  ;  and,  on  being  informed,  said  he  would 
give  an  equal  quantity  if  we  would  settle  with  him.  I  could  do 
no  better  than  endeavour  to  reconcile  him  by  informing  him 
that,  although  my  family  would  remain  at  the  station  among 
the  Putawatomies,  we  should  endeavour  to  establish  a  mission 
among  the  Ottawas  on  the  north,  and  another  among  the  Mi- 
amies,  his  people,  on  the  south,  and  that  it  would  be  my  busi 
ness  to  spend  my  time  at  the  several  stations  alternately. 

The  Miamies  were  averse  to  sending  their  children  into  the 
Putawatomie  country.  Hence  they  were  obliged  to  return  to 
their  rude  kindred,  with  the  exception  of  one,  who  was  old 
enough  to  choose  for  himself,  and  whose  mind  appeared  to  be 
much  agitated.  He  said  he  knew  that  if  he  should  return  to 
the  Miamies  at  that  time  he  would  be  undone.  The  artless 
manner  in  which  he  spoke  on  this  subject,  in  broken  English, 
was  deeply  affecting.  He  said,  "  I  know  if  I  go  back  to  Indian, 
I  soon  be  done.  You  not  want  me  stay  wid  you  ?  You  tell 
me  go  wid  you,  I  go.  I  want  to  live  wid  you.  I  love  you  just 
like  my  fader.  I  love  mama  (Mrs.  McCoy)  just  like  my  moder. 
I  want  you  always  tell  me  dese  good  tings." 

We  greatly  regretted  the  loss  of  our  Miamie  pupils.  In  hope 
that  missionaries  would  be  found  qualified  and  willing  to  labour 
there,  we  did  not  abandon  the  idea  of  giving  them  a  mission 
until  we  were  fully  convinced  that  among  the  hundreds  of  thou 
sands  of  our  denomination  in  the  United  States,  none  were  ready 
to  enter  upon  the  arduous  though  delightful  duties  of  reclaiming 
the  Miamies.  This  was  the  more  astonishing,  and  the  more  to 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  177 

be  regretted,  in  view  of  the  facilities  from  Government  which  we 
had  secured  for  a  station  there.  Could  we  have  gone  forward 
in  the  work,  a  great  portion  of  the  expense  of  supporting  that 
station  would  have  been  met  by  Government.  My  heart  now 
sickens  at  the  recollection  of  the  failure.  In  future,  may  our 
denomination  have  more  zeal  in  a  cause  so  well  deserving  it  . 

December  9,  1822.  We  moved  off  from  Fort  Wayne.  Our 
company  consisted  of  thirty-two  persons,  viz :  seven  of  my 
own  family,  Mr.  Dusenbury,  six  work  hands,  and  eighteen  of 
the  Indian  part  of  our  family.  The  health  of  many  was  by  no 
meads  firm.  One  of  our  children  was  still  unwell  with  its  late 
sickness.  We  had  three  wagons  drawn  by  oxen,  and  one 
by  horses,  fifty  hogs,  and  five  cows.  On  account  of  the  ice, 
we  found  much  difficulty  in  crossing  the  St.  Mary's  river,  and 
were  able  to  make  only  about  three  miles  of  our  journey  the 
first  day.  The  snow  was  about  three  inches  deep,  which  we 
raked  away  with  hoes  until  we  found  earth  to  make  our  beds 
upon,  and  where  we  could  kindle  fire.  On  the  10th,  travelling 
was  extremely  difficult,  on  account  of  snow  and  ice,  and  many 
deep  quagmires,  in  a  flat  wet  country.  I  lent  my  horse,  to 
enable  some  hands  to  go  back  after  cattle  that  had  escaped  on 
the  preceding  night,  and  being  compelled  now  to  go  on  foot, 
became  greatly  fatigued  and  not  a  little  indisposed.  I  took  a 
hand  and  went  ahead,  and  had  a  fire  burning  by  the  time  the 
company  came  up  at  dark. 

December  1 1th.  Several  Indians  came  to  us  early,  and  brought 
us  a  present  of  venison.  We  returned  the  compliment  by  an 
other  present.  Again  we  went  ahead  and  prepared  a  fire,  but 
the  teams  were  unable  to  reach  us,  and  we  had  to  return  to 
them,  and  make  a  second  fire.  This  we  regretted  the  more,  on 
account  of  the  unpleasantness  of  raking  away  the  snow. 

December  12th.  We  passed  an  encampment  of  Miamies, 
who  resided  in  the  Putawatomie  country,  and  with  whom  I  had 
previously  had  little  acquaintance.  A  young  man  came  out  arid 
invited  me  in,  to  see  the  chief,  who  was  sick.  He  said  the  In 
dians  generally  expected  travellers  who  were  going  through  their 
country,  and  especially  such  as  were  conveying  property,  to  give 
the  natives  something  for  permission  to  pass.  For  his  own  part 
he  would  not  demand  any  thing  of  me,  but  his  young  men  wished 
me  to  give  them  a  hog.  I  replied,  that  I  had  men  at  work  on 
the  St.  Joseph's,  who  being  hungry,  and  not  hunters,  I  was 
taking  my  hogs  to  that  place  for  their  benefit  and  the  benefit  of 
our  company  after  our  arrival.  That  all  our  labours  were  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Indians,  and  I  had  been  very  glad  to  find 
23 


178 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


some  kind  enough  to  present  us  with  venison  on  the  pre 
ceding  day.  I  would  give  him  some  biscuit  and  tobacco,  not 
for  permission  to  pass  through  the  country,  but  because  he  was 
sick.  When  we  moved  off  from  their  camp,  T  deemed  it  pru 
dent  to  remain  behind  with  the  drove,  lest  they  should  take  a 
hog  from  our  young  men  by  force. 

By  exposure  I  had  contracted  cold,  and  on  the  13th  I  be 
came  too  unwell  to  ride  on  horseback,  and  was  compelled  to 
get  into  a  wagon.  After  passing  a  rainy  uncomfortable  night, 
we  commenced  and  prosecuted  the  journey  on  the  14th, 
through  falling  snow  and  cold,  and  encamped  on  the  bank  of 
Elksheart  river,  and  butchered  a  hog  for  our  use.  The  follow 
ing  day  we  experienced  not  a  little  difficulty  in  cutting  away 
the  ice,  to  enable  us  to  cross  the  river. 

December  16th.  I  left  our  camp  early,  and  went  on  before 
the  company  to  the  St.  Joseph's  river,  ten  miles,  to  examine  a 
crossing.  On  returning,  I  found  that  the  company  had  not  left 
carnp,  on  account  of  fifteen  oxen  having  gone  astray.  Two 
men  were  in  quest  of  them,  and  I  immediately  followed,  with 
two  others  By  night  we  had  recovered  the  oxen ;  some  of 
them  had  wandered  as  far  as  ten  miles  from  our  camp  in  search 
of  food.  Our  reliance  was  upon  grazing ;  and  this  in  winter,  and 
snow  on  the  ground,  was  poor. 

December  17th  was  cold,  and  1  remained  very  much  indis 
posed.  I  took  two  men,  and  went  ahead  of  the  company,  and 
made  a  large  fire  on  each  side  of  the  St.  Joseph's  river;  the 
stream  was  rapid,  and  so  deep  that  it  almost  ran  into  the 
wagon  beds;  the  ice  was  also  running  very  thick.  Neverthe 
less,  we  got  all  safely  across,  with  the  exception  of  drowning 
one  hog,  as  the  drove  swam  the  river. 

December  18th  our  oxen  were  almost  worn  down  and  the 
company  all  exceedingly  anxious  to  terminate  the  journey. 
We  therefore  made  a  vigorous  effort  to  reach  Bertrand's  tra 
ding  house,  which  we  accomplished  at  dark.  Here  we  found 
a  shelter  from  the  cold  and  freezing  rain  which  had  been 
falling  on  us  half  the  day.  On  the  following  day,  which  was 
the  eleventh  of  our  journey,  we  reached  the  mission  station, 
and  found  the  part  of  the  family  which  had  been  left  there 
well,  but  scarce  of  provisions.  We  then  looked  back  upon 
our  journey  with  gratitude  to  God,  who  had  brought  us  safely 
hither.  We  had  generally  risen  at  four  o'clock,  and  had 
prepared  and  eaten  breakfast  by  candlelight.  Most  of  the 
country  had  been  covered  with  snow ;  and  when  that  was 
removed  from  our  sleeping  places,  our  beds  were  spread  on  tiie 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  179 

frozen  earth.  In  view  of  these  exposures  so  soon  after  our 
general  ill  health,  we  felt  that  we  had  been  astonishingly 
favoured  in  being  preserved  in  so  much  comfort.  Our  cabins 
were  unfinished,  but  they  afforded  us  a  shelter  so  much  superior 
to  what  we  had  lately  experienced  on  the  road,  that  we  were 
not  inclined  to  complain.  Mrs.  McCoy  was  at  this  time  much 
indisposed,  on  account  of  cold  contracted  on  the  journey. 

On  our  arrival  we  found  two  labourers  who  had  been  em 
ployed  for  the  Ottawas,  by  virtue  of  the  Chicago  treaty.  It 
being  now  winter,  so  that,  were  they  among  the  Ottawas,  they 
could  do  but  little  before  spring,  Governour  Cass  had  kindly 
authorized  me  to  employ  them  at  Carey  station  until  they  could 
be  set  to  work  to  good  advantage  at  the  other.  This  was  a 
great  favour,  especially  as  Mr.  Sears  had  declined  going  to  that 
station,  and  as  we  had  no  person  to  send  in  his  place.  My 
health  had  improved  a  little,  but  our  circumstances  did  not 
allow  us  sufficient  rest.  On  the  21st  I  assisted  the  work  hands 
all  day  in  the  open  air,  where  I  was  very  much  exposed  to 
cold.  The  following  night  I  was  required  to  be  up  late.  At 
one  o'clock  I  awoke  with  a  violent  ague,  which  was  followed 
by  fever,  delirium,  and  symptoms  of  pleurisy,  and  it  was  three 
days  before  I  was  able  to  sit  up.  We  sent  three  wagons  back 
to  the  settlements  for  supplies,  which,  including  going  and  re 
turning,  had  a  journey  of  four  hundred  miles  to  make  through 
the  wilderness,  and  over  a  bad  road,  at  that  inclement  season, 
before  we  could  obtain  a  fresh  supply  of  bread  stuff.  We  had 
taken  the  precaution  to  deposite  corn  and  hay  at  Fort  Wayne, 
for  recruiting  our  teams  as  they  passed  and  repassed  that  place. 
By  the  29th  of  December  I  was  again  able  to  preach.  Indians 
visited  us  almost  daily,  and  on  the  1st  of  January  we  deemed 
it  expedient  to  invite  Topenebe  and  Chebass,  principal  chiefs, 
and  some  others,  to  partake  of  a  frugal  meal  with  us ;  some 
attention  having  generally  been  paid  to  the  25th  of  December 
and  the  1st  of  January  by  white  men  among  them,  most  of 
whom  have  been  French  Catholics,  from  whom  the  natives 
derived  a  knowledge  of  these  holidays.  From  them  also  they 
have  learned  on  those  days  to  shake  hands  and  kiss  their  ac 
quaintances.  With  the  latter  civility  we  chose  to  dispense. 
They  retired  from  our  house  much  gratified  with  the  attentions 
which  they  had  received,  and  said  privately  to  our  interpreter, 
"  they  could  not  think  there  were  any  more  such  good  people 
among  the  whites." 

The  winter  continued  cold.  The  earth  was  covered  with 
snow  from  the  time  we  reached  the  station  until  the  20th  of 


180  HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 

March,  generally  from  ten  to  fifteen  inches  deep.  Our  houses, 
being  unfinished,  were  cold  and  uncomfortable.  We  had  only 
four  fires,  one  of  which  was  our  kitchen  fire,  for  the  benefit  of 
about  fifty  persons.  The  Indian  female  pupils,  besides  alter 
nately  attending  to  common  domestic  labours,  resumed  their 
spinning,  knitting,  sewing,  &c.  Out  of  doors,  our  business 
went  on  slowly,  on  account  of  the  severity  of  the  weather. 
Our  religious  services  appeared  to  be  attended  with  cold  hearts 
as  well  as  cold  feet. 

On  the  1 3th  of  January  we  received  intelligence  that,  in 
consequence  of  oxen  having  gone  astray,  our  wagons  would  not 
return  with  supplies  as  soon  as  we  had  hoped.  This  was  un 
welcome  tidings,  inasmuch  as  our  stock  of  flour  had  already 
become  so  low  that  we  had  put  ourselves  on  short  allowance  of 
bread,  by  substituting  homrnony,  (boiled  maize.)  Even  corn 
had  become  so  scarce,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  we  could 
obtain  any  of  the  Indians.  January  14th  we  started  another 
ox  wagon  to  Fort  Wayne  (one  hundred  miles)  for  supplies. 
Travelling  in  the  wilderness  had  by  this  time  become  very  diffi 
cult,  on  account  of  the  cold  and  snow. 

Infidelity  may  receive  some  countenance  in  times  of  health 
and  prosperity,  and  under  apparent  prospects  of  long  life  ;  but, 
in  view  of  eternity,  even  the  savage  contemplates  it  with  hor- 
rour.  Keeshwa  was  an  old  Putawatomie  woman,  who  had 
occasionally  resided  with  us  ever  since  our  settlement  at  Fort 
Wayne.  At  one  time  she  made  a  visit  to  a  respectable  white 
man  and  his  lady,  both  of  whom  professed  to  be  Deists;  and, 
while  there,  suffered  from  sickness.  At  our  new  residence  she 
again  became  much  indisposed,  and  in  religious  conversation 
remarked  that  the  gentleman  and  lady  had  been  very  kind  to 
her  in  her  former  illness ;  nevertheless,  she  was  exceedingly 
anxious  to  get  away  from  them,  because  they  were  not  reli 
gious.  "  Oh  !"  said  she,  "  I  did  not  want  to  die  there.  1 
wanted  to  come  to  your  house  to  die."  For  the  same  reason 
she  desired  not  to  leave  her  child  and  grandchild  there,  both  of 
whom  were  with  her,  but  wished  them  to  be  placed  with  reli 
gious  people. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  at  the  station,  we  commenced  the 
erection  of  a  school  house;  and  on  the  27th  of  January,  1823, 
we  opened  our  school  with  thirty  Indian  scholars,  ail  of  whom 
were  fed,  clothed,  and  lodged,  at  our  .expense.  Our  school 
house  was  without  floor,  shutter  to  the  door,  or  chimney.  We 
built  a  large  fire  within,  around  which  we  sat,  greatly  annoyed 
with  smoke  and  cold.  Mr.  Lykins  had  not  returned,  and  I 


INDIAN  MISSIONS, 


181 


was  compelled  to  go  into  the  school  myself.  The  management 
of  all  our  missionary  matters  devolving  upon  Mrs.  McCoy  and 
myself,  I  found,  by  a  few  days'  experience,  that  the  additional 
charge  of  the  school  was  more  than  I  could  sustain  ;  and  we 
should  have  been  compelled  to  suspend  studies,  had  not  a 
stranger  been  detained  with  us  a  few  weeks,  chiefly  on  account 
of  the  severity  of  the  weather.  I  copy  from  the  mission  jour 
nals  the  following  notes: 

"  February  1st.  Having  eaten  up  our  corn,  and  having  only 
flour  enough  for  one  meal,  we  sent  five  of  our  stoutest  Indian 
boys  five  miles,  to  an  Indian  trader,  and  borrowed  a  barrel  of 
flour  and  a  bushel  of  corn.  Our  teams  were  absent,  and  the 
boys  carried  it  home  upon  their  backs.  The  flour  was  dam 
aged  ;  nevertheless,  it  was  very  acceptable  to  us. 

"  February  7th.  Ate  our  last  meal  of  bread  for  breakfast, 
which  was  so  scarce  that  we  had  to  divide  it  carefully  that 
every  one  might  take  a  little.  We  had  saved  a  few  pounds  of 
flour  for  the  small  children,  whose  necessities  were  increased 
by  the  want  of  the  valuable  article  of  milk.  Sent  out  an 
Indian  to  endeavour  to  buy  corn,  who  .returned  with  about  six 
quarts,  which  was  all  that,  he  could  get.  We  sent  an  Indian 
and  a  white  man  to  Fort  Wayne,  to  see  what  was  detaining  our 
wagons ;  and,  should  they  not  meet  the  team  on  this  side  that 
place,  they  were  directed  to  hire  horses  and  fetch  flour  to  us. 

"  February  8th.  Breakfasted  upon  the  corn  we  had  procured 
the  preceding  day.  Blessed  be  God,  we  have  not  yet  suffered 
for  want  of  food,  because  corn  is  an  excellent  substitute  for 
bread.  But  having  now  eaten  our  last  corn,  we  cannot  avoid 
feeling  some  uneasiness  about  the  next  meal." 

The  snow  was  more  than  a  foot  deep,  and  my  health  poor; 
but,  inconvenient  as  it  might  be,  I  could  do  no  better  than  to 
obtain  a  horse,  and,  taking  a  man  on  foot,  go  in  quest  of  corn. 
The  Indians  had  not  half  enough  for  a  comfortable  supply  for 
themselves;  and  what  little  they  owned  was  chiefly  deposited 
in  the  earth,  at  their  villages,  from  which  they  were  absent; 
and  if  they  had  been  there,  it  was  difficult  taking  it  up  from 
under  the  snow.  I  hoped,  however,  that  by  going  in  person,  I 
could  prevail  on  some  of  them  to  divide  with  us.  I  encour 
aged  the  family  to  hope  that  they  would  obtain  relief  on  my 
return,  though  I  could  not  promise  when  that  would  be.  I  left 
them  in  pretty  good  spirits,  but  my  own  anxieties  were  very 
great.  I  could  not  contemplate  the  destitute  condition  of  so 
many  persons,  among  whom  were  my  wife  and  my  children, 
when  the  probabilities  of  extreme  suffering,  not  to  say  perish- 


182  HISTORY  OK  BAPTIST 

ing,  were  thickening  around  us,  without  feelings  which  can 
better  be  imagined  than  described. 

I  was  slowly  working  my  way  through  the  snow,  without  a 
track,  when  I  happened  to  meet  Mr.  Bertrand,  a  French  trader. 
On  telling  him  my  business,  he  said  that  the  Indians  were 
generally  scattered  at  their  hunting  camps,  and  that,  on  account 
of  the  deep  snow,  it  would  be  almost  impossible  for  me  to  find 
them  ;  and  if  I  should  succeed  in  finding  a  few,  they  would 
probably  be  destitute  of  corn.  Moreover,  to  travel  through 
the  brush  in  a  trackless  wilderness,  through  a  deep  snow,  was 
almost  impracticable.  "  But,"  said  he,  in  broken  English, 
"I  got  some  corn,  some  flour;  I  give  you  half.  Suppose  you 
die,  I  die  too." 

I  had,  however,  scarcely  travelled  out  of  sight  of  our  house, 
when  an  old  Putawatomie  widow,  our  nearest  neighbour,  who 
had  herself  not  a  particle  of  any  thing  to  eat  except  her  small 
stock  of  corn  and  beans,  sent  the  family  sweet  corn  enough  for 
a  plentiful  meal  for  our  whole  family.  Thus  we  had  scarcely 
eaten  our  last  meal,  when  God  sent  us  another. 

Our  kind  widow  had  a  few  days  before  given  information  of 
our  scarcity  to  some  of  the  neighbouring  Indians,  and  on  this 
same  day  four  other  women  and  a  boy  brought  us,  on  their 
backs,  about  three  bushels  of  potatoes.  We  did  not  fail  amply 
to  reward  these  generous  acts. 

With  my  little  Indian  horse  loaded  with  corn  and  flour  I  re 
turned  at  night,  and  unexpectedly  found  our  family  regaling 
themselves  upon  the  kind  widow's  mess  of  sweet  corn.  Then, 
with  grateful  hearts,  we  wrote  in  our  journal  Newton's  excellent 
stanza : 

"  The  birds  without  barn  or  storehouse  are  fed — 
From  them  let  us  learn  to  trust  for  our  bread  ; 
The  saints  what  is  fitting  shall  ne'er  be  denied, 
So  long  as  'tis  written  *  The  Lord  will  provide.'  " 

On  the  10th  of  February,  two  Indians  brought  us  about  two 
bushels  of  corn  ;  and  two  traders  by  the  name  of  Rosseau,  hear 
ing  of  our  scarcity,  brought  us  half  of  a  pittance  of  flour  they 
had,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles. 

Our  school  house  was  so  exceedingly  uncomfortable,  that  we 
set  about  improving  it,  by  making  a  floor,  chimney,  &c.  I 
worked  wfth  the  labourers,  though  I  had  for  some  time  been 
afflicted  with  a  severe  cold.  Fatigue  and  exposure  again  pros 
trated  me.  I  was  violently  attacked  with  chills,  followed  by 
fever,  distraction,  and  pains  in  my  limbs,  breast,  and  bowels,  with 
difficulty  of  breathing. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


183 


I  knew  that  my  situation  was  dangerous,  and  exclaimed,  as  I 
find  I  afterwards  wrote  in  my  journal,  "  Should  I  die  at  this  time, 
what  will  become  of  the  mission  ? — of  my  family  ?  Must  all, 
for  which  we  have  toiled  for  five  years,  be  lost  in  a  day  ?  All 
our  adopted  children  be  scattered  and  perhaps  forever  lost  ? 
Mr.  Lykins  has  not  yet  returned,  and  there  is  no  missionary 
here  to  help  when  I  fail.  My  wife  cannot  do  every  thing. 
Notwithstanding  my  eyes  shall  not  see  these  things,  nor  my 
ears  hear  the  hapless  orphans  cry,  yet  how  dreadful  hard  it  is 
to  die  under  these  apprehensions !  The  reflection  sometimes 
seems  somewhat  painful  to  bear,  that  our  missionary  brethren 
should  desert  the  camp  because  the  fare  is  hard,  and  leave  me 
to  labour,  to  suffer,  and  to  die  alone." 

I  continued  several  days  extremely  sick,  and  our  house  was  so 
open  that  I  was  afraid  to  take  medicine.  In  the  room  where  I 
lay  was  no  upper  floor,  and  the  snow  drove  through  upon  me 
so  much  that  I  could  not  be  screened  and  kept  warm  by  cur 
tains  above  and  about  me.  By  the  20th  my  health  began  to 
improve. 

On  the  13th  of  February  our  wagons  arrived,  two  valuable 
oxen  having  perished  on  the  journey.  Besides  bread  stuff,  our 
wagons  brought  us  five  boxes  of  clothing,  in  all  worth  more 
than  three  hundred  and  forty  dollars,  sent  us  from  the  vicinity 
of  Boston  and  Salem,  Massachusetts.  Many  circumstances 
concurred  to  render  these  donations  unusually  acceptable  at 
this  time.  They  brought  seasonable  relief  when  our  wants 
were  pressing,  and  it  was  not  a  little  affecting  to  see  the  gladness 
which  sparkled  in  the  countenances  of  our  adopted  children 
when  they  were  called  up  to  receive  shoes  to  cover  their  naked 
feet  from  the  snow,  and  other  garments  which  they  needed  no 
less.  They  seemed  to  feel  assured,  by  what  we  said  and  their 
own  eyes  beheld,  that,  should  my  wife  and  I  both  die  and  leave 
them,  they  had  friends  a  thousand  miles  off*  who  would  not  for 
get  them.  We  said  that  "  we  knew  not  how  to  make  suitable 
acknowledgments  to  the  kind  ladies  who  had  filled  these  boxes. 
But  God  had  seen  the  charitable  put  their  gifts  therein,  and 
the  needy  take  them  out,  and  he  would  return  to  the  blessed 
giver  a  better  reward  than  our  expressions  of  gratitude." 

On  the  21st  of  February,  to  our  great  joy,  Mr.  Lykins  re 
turned.  In  his  absence  he  had  suffered  much  with  sickness,  but 
he  was  at  this  time  in  good  health.  My  health  continued  very 
imperfect;  I  was  reduced  to  a  skeleton,  and  was  barely  able  to 
walk  about  the  house.  Every  moment  of  time  that  I  was  able 


184 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


to  write  was  in  that  way  employed.  I  desired,  should  God  call 
me  hence,  to  leave  our  missionary  accounts  and  other  matters  in 
a  state  that  would  occasion  no  difficulty  to  those  who  might  suc 
ceed.  My  poor  health  increased  the  burden  of  labours  of  Mrs. 
McCoy,  who  had  no  female  missionary  associate  with  whom  to 
divide  her  cares  and  toils. 

On  the  1st  of  March  a  woman  came  to  our  house,  inquiring 
where  the  neighbouring  Indians  could  at  that  time  be  found. 
With  her  husband  and  three  small  children,  she  had  just  returned 
from  Detroit  to  a  neighbouring  village,  which  they  found  with 
out  inhabitant.  Both  they  and  their  horses  were  worn  down 
by  travelling  through  the  deep  snow,  and  were  destitute  of  food, 
and  in  danger  of  perishing.  They  had  not  heard  of  our  loca 
tion  at  that  place;  but  while  her  husband  was  looking  around  the 
village,  to  see  if  he  could  find  any  thing  like  food,  and  she  and 
her  three  children  were  sitting  hungry  by  the  fire,  she  fancied 
she  heard  human  voices  and  the  lowing  of  cattle  in  the  direc 
tion  of  our  house.  She  immediately  left  her  little  ones  by  the 
fire,  crossed  the  St.  Joseph's  river  on  the  ice,  and  waded  through 
the  snow  to  bur  place.  She  wept  while  she  related  the  tale  of 
their  sufferings,  and  was  greatly  transported  when  we  gave  her 
a  little  food  to  take  to  her  hungry  children  and  husband. 

On  Sunday,  the  2d  of  March,  I  made  the  following  note  in 
my  journal :  "  Unable  to  preach,  and  scarcely  able  to  walk,  I 
feel  something  like  a  prisoner  shut  up  from  society  and  Gospel 
privileges.  The  long  train  of  successive  and  trying  difficulties 
through  which  we  have  come,  and  in  which  we  are  still  involved, 
has  occasioned  much  *  searching  of  heart.'  '  If  it  be  so'  that 
we  have  been  called  of  God  to  the  work  in  which  we  have  been 
engaged  for  some  time,  '  why  are  we  thus  ?'  Could  we  at 
all  times  feel  assured  that  we  have  not  '  run  before  we  were 
sent,'  and  that  it  might  not  be  said,  '  who  hath  required  this 
at  your  hand  ?'  we  could  toil  and  suffer  with  more  fortitude. 
But  how  are  we  to  determine  the  path  of  duty  ?  We  ought 
not  to  conclude  that  we  have  lost  the  way,  merely  because  the 
path  is  rough.  Nothing  with  which  we  have  met  has  produced 
greater  discouragements  than  our  disappointments  in  relation  to 
missionaries.  We,  who  commenced  our  labours  five  years  ago, 
little  expected  that  at  this  time  there  would  be  only  two  or  three 
missionaries  at  the  station. 

"  Again,  when  we  reflect,  that,  notwithstanding  the  srhallness 
of  our  number,  our  work  still  goes  on,  we  are  constrained  to 
acknowledge  the  interposing  hand  of  Providence  therein.  We 


INDIAN  MISSIONS,  185 

are  encouraged  to  hope  that  the  Lord  who  '  can  save  by  many  or 
by  few/  is  '  on  our  side,'  therefore,  of  whom  shall  we  be  afraid  ?' 
"  It  was  but  a  short  time  previous  to  the  discomfiture  of  the  host 
of  the  Philistines  in  Michmash,  that  Jonathan  and  his  armour- 
bearer  were  alone,  climbing  up  the  hill  among  the  rocks,  on  their 
hands  and  feet.  Had  their  enterprise  proved  unsuccessful,  their 
countrymen  universally  would  have  charged  them  with  rashness 
and  folly.  But  they  succeeded  in  their  undertaking,  and  Israel 
shouted." 

We  had  at  this  time  thirty-six  Indian  scholars  actually  at  the 
establishment,  and  our  school  went  on  well  under  the  manage 
ment  of  Mr.  Lykins.  On  the  7th  of  March  we  received  en 
couraging  intelligence  that  the  Rev.  Corbly  Martin,  whom  we 
had  employed  as  agent  to  collect  for  the  mission,  had  been  very 
successful.  A  flock  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen  sheep  col 
lected  by  him,  chiefly  in  Kentucky,  had  reached  Fort  Wayne. 
He  also  obtained  more  than  one  hundred  dollars  worth  of  cloth 
ing,  and  nearly  two  hundred  dollars  in  cash.  The  Rev.  Walter 
Warder,  and  Mr.  Morris,  of  Mason  county,  Kentucky,  took  an 
active  part  in  our  favour. 

In  Xenia,  Ohio,  were  some  kind  hearted  Christians,  of  the 
order  of  Seceders,  among  whom  Mr.  James  Galoway  and 
his  lady  were  conspicuous.  Some  mischievous  persons  circu 
lated  slanders,  in  that  place,  with  a  view  of  injuring  the  mission. 
These  malicious  efforts  induced  the  benevolent  people  of  Xenia 
to  make  inquiries,  which  resulted  in  the  increase  of  their  libe 
rality  towards  the  mission.  Thus,  that  which  was  intended  to- 
injure  us  resulted  in  our  good.  And  thus  it  invariably  happened, 
when  men  distant  from  us  sought  our  injury,  unknown  to  usr 
while  we  were  labouring  for  the  Indians  in  the  desert,  the  Lord 
turned  their  "  counsel  into  foolishness,"  and  overruled  it  for 
good. 

March  8th.  Two  young  men  from  Ohio  arrived,  with  a  view 
of  labouring  for  us,  who,  in  order  to  cross  St.  Joseph's  river,  cut 
loose  a  large  cake  of  ice,  and,  putting  their  knapsacks  thereon, 
undertook  to  push  themselves  across  with  poles.  The  current 
was  strong,  and  carried  them  down  stream  rapidly,  so  that  for  a 
while  they  seemed  destined  to  make  the  remainder  of  their 
journey  by  water,  if  it  should  be  made  at  all.  They  at  length 
came  so  near  the  bank  with  their  ice  boat,  as  to  be  able  to  throw 
their  baggage  on  shore,  after  which  they  swam  out  themselves. 
By  this  means  they  wetted  their  apparatus  for  making  fire,  sa 
that  they  were  compelled  to  sleep  in  wet  clothes,  without  fke. 
24 


186 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

TP.   .1*     - 

CHAPTER  VII. 


Resignation  of  a  Missionary.  Journey  to  Ohio.  Loss  of 
property  in  Elksheart  river.  A.  second  loss.  Tour  among 
the  Ottawas.  Superstition.  Scheme  conceived  for  procur 
ing  in  the  West  a  permanent  residence  for  the  Indians. 
Major  Long's  exploring  party  visits  the  mission.  Scarcity 
of  bread.  Efforts  to  promote  colonization.  The  routine 
of  business.  Want  of  support.  <\-\'\  \ 

My  health  for  a  long  time  remained  poor.  Though  able  to 
walk  about  a  little,  and  to  direct  in  our  affairs,  it  was  the  16th 
of  March  before  I  was  able  to  preach,  and  then  I  had  to  sit  in 
my  chair.  Our  business,  both  at  Carey  and  at  our  contemplated 
station  among  the  Ottawas,  made  it  necessary  for  me  to  make  a 
journey  to  the  State  of  Ohio.  I  had  barely  recovered  my 
strength  so  as  to  be  able  to  ride  on  horseback,  when,  on  the  19th 
of  March,  I  set  out,  accompanied  by  one  of  our  Indian  pupils 
and  two  white  men,  one  of  whom  was  Mr.  Dusenbury,  who 
had  concluded  to  leave  the  field  of  missionary  labours.  He 
was  an  inoffensive,  modest  young  man,  but  we  had  been  so 
fully  satisfied  that  he  would  not  succeed  as  a  missionary,  that 
although  we  accepted  him  as  an  associate  in  labour,  we 
omitted  to  recommend  him  to  the  board,  confident  that  his  race 
would  be  short. 

About  this  time  the  snows  were  melting  by  rains,  and  conse 
quently  the  streams  were  full,  and  the  low  grounds  covered  with 
water.  We  swam  our  horses  across  Paupaugoh  creek,  crossing 
ourselves  on  a  fallen  tree.  Elksheart  river  was  impassable ;  we 
therefore  left  the  path,  in  order  to  feel  our  way  without  a  road 
around  near  the  sources  of  the  streams,  without  crossing  the 
river.  At  night,  we  had  to  rake  away  the  snow  to  make  a 
sleeping  place.  On  the  following  day,  we  were  obstructed  by 
a  large  creek,  which  would  have  occasioned  us  not  a  little  diffi 
culty,  had  we  not  found  an  Indian  canoe  tied  near  a  deserted 
encampment. 

On  the  2w2d,  we  found  the  low  grounds  of  Eel  river  covered 
from  hill  to  hill.  We  forded  until  we  reached  the  main  channel, 
across  which  we  found  a  fallen  tree  extending,  but  the  water 
was  running  over  it  eight  or  ten  inches  deep.  I  alighted  on  the 
stump  of  the  tree,  undressed  my  feet  and  waded  on  the  log:  the 
water  was  exceedingly  cold.  Similar  difficulties  on  account  of 
high  water  frequently  occurred,  on  the  whole  journey  to  Ohio 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


187 


and  back  to  Fort  Wayne.  These  exposures  were  the  more 
serious  on  account  of  my  poor  state  of  health. 

I  was  back  at  Fort  Wayne,  and  ready  to  proceed  to  Carey, 
the  16th  of  April.  The  waters  were  so  high,  and  the  road,  on 
account  of  wet,  so  bad,  that  one  wagoner,  whom  I  had  employed 
to  transport  property  to  our  station,  refused  to  proceed  with 
his  team,  and  I  was  under  the  necessity  of  storing  up  the  load. 
With  three  wagons,  one  of  which  was  our  own,  we  set  off,  hav 
ing  in  company  Mr.  and  Miss  Wright,  who  were  severally  hired 
to  assist  in  the  school,  six  hired  men,  and  our  Indian  boy.  We 
drove  twelve  head  of  cattle,  and  one  hundred  and  ten  sheep. 
St.  Mary's  river  was  deep  at  this  time,  and  we  had  no  other 
craft  than  a  large  canoe,  with  which  to  cross  our  wagons,  bag 
gage,  and  persons.  Some  of  our  oxen  were  unwilling  to  swim, 
and  were  dragged  across  by  the  horns.  We  had  not  proceeded 
more  than  three  miles,  when  we  discovered  that  the  earth  was 
so  soft,  that  we  could  not  get  forward  with  our  loads  without 
more  force  of  team.  We  encamped  and  sent  two  men  back  to 
Fort  Wayne,  and  procured  two  additional  oxen  and  one  horse: 
a  sentinel  guarded  the  sheep  all  night,  to  prevent  mischief  by 
the  wolves.  We  had  not  proceeded  two  miles,  on  the  second 
day,  when  we  were  again  compelled,  by  bad  road,  to  lighten  our 
loads.  We  sent  a  man  back  to  Fort  Wayne,  to  get  this  pro 
perty  secured.  Having  a  drove  of  cattle  and  sheep  to  manage, 
besides  the  wagons,  I  was  subjected  to  much  fatigue.  It  rained 
on  us,  and  we  encamped  at  night,  wet,  hungry,  and  tired. 

On  the  18th,  one  yoke  of  oxen  failed,  so  that  their  owner 
turned  them  loose.  Some  deep  creeks  were  exceedingly  trou 
blesome,  and  the  sheep  had  to  be  dragged  through  the  water. 
The  following  day  it  rained  on  us  incessantly,  which  induced  us, 
before  night,  to  take  shelter  in  a  deserted  Indian  camp,  being 
all  well  drenched  with  rain.  At  Elksheart  river  we  halted 
and  made  a  periogue,  or  large  canoe,  out  of  a  single  tree,  intend 
ing  to  transport  some  of  our  loading  down  that  river  and  the  St. 
Joseph's  to  our  place.  The  road  along  which  we  had  thus  far 
come  was  at  this  time  considered,  even  by  the  Government 
express  from  the  military  post  at  Chicago,  to  be  impassable. 
But  the  want,  at  our  station,  of  such  property  as  we  carried 
with  us,  had  impelled  us  to  make  extraordinary  efforts  to  get 
thus  far.  We  now  hoped  that  our  chief  difficulties  had  been 
left  behind  us.  The  two  hired  teams  were  to  return  from  this 
place  to  Fort  Wayne. 

On  the  24th,  we  had  our  canoe  in  the  river,  in  which  we 
ferried  our  wagon,  sheep,  &,c. ;  horses  and  cattle  swam.  After 


188 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


crossing  the  stock,  I  took  a  few  hands  to  collect  them,  and 
to  select  a  camping  place  a  short  distance  below,  leaving  three 
men  to  load  the  canoe  with  property  that  was  to  be  freighted 
down  the  river,  and  to  bring  it  to  our  encampment.  We  had 
but  just  settled  ourselves  at  our  camp,  when  we  discovered  the 
periogue  coming  down,  and  went  to  the  river  bank  to  assist  in 
landing  it:  before  it  reached  us  it  became  entangled  in  a  tree, 
from  which  it  was  not  disengaged  without  taking  water.  The 
current  was  as  swift  as  a  mill  race,  and  the  periogue  was  no 
sooner  disengaged  from  the  first  tree  than  it  ran  foul  of  another 
and  capsized.  The  loading  was  all  turned  into  the  river,  and 
every  one  plunged  in  to  save  what  he  could.  By  great  exer 
tion,  we  saved  eight  and  a  half  barrels  of  flour,  two  barrels  of 
corn  meal,  a  little  seed  corn,  a  box  of  dried  fruit,  and  a  few  arti 
cles  of  clothing.  Some  things  were  rescued  from  the  water 
nearly  two  miles  down  the  river.  Our  peas,  potatoes,  one  bar 
rel  of  flour,  one  of  salt,  and  other  property  to  some  considerable 
amount,  were  lost,  and  some  of  that  which  we  saved  was  much 
damaged. 

Our  potatoes  and  some  of  our  corn  were  for  seed  for  the  ensu 
ing  season ;  the  articles  designed  for  food  we  were  confident  we 
should  greatly  need  at  the  station.  Weary  and  wet,  we  sur 
rounded  our  little  fire  in  the  woods,  talked  over  our  misfortunes, 
and  felt  that  it  was  to  us  all  a  sorrowful  evening. 

On  the  next  day,  we  reloaded  our  canoe,  and  with  three  men 
it  again  descended  the  river.  There  were  left  with  me  only  one 
hired  hand,  Mr.  Wright,  and  the  Indian  boy,  to  take  on  the 
wagon,  sheep,  and  cattle.  We  pitched  our  tent  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  and  waited  till  our  canoe  arrived.  I  went  to  an 
Indian  camp  to  obtain  meat,  of  which  we  had  become  very 
scarce,  but  was  unsuccessful,  though  I  bought  about  a  pound 
and  a  half  of  sugar. 

April  26th,  we  dragged  our  sheep  through  Rock  creek,  and 
on  reaching  St.  Joseph's  again  met  our  canoe,  which  we  needed 
for  the  purpose  of  crossing  our  sheep.  It  rained  on  us  so 
severely  that  we  had  to  lie  in  our  tent  the  latter  part  of  the  day. 
I  obtained  some  venison  from  an  encampment  of  Indians,  but 
we  had  to  eat  it  without  salt,  in  consequence  of  our  Jate  misfor 
tune  of  losing  our  salt  in  the  river.  Much  exhausted,  I  lay 
down  in  our  tent  and  fell  asleep,  and  awaking  at  night,  I  learned 
that  seventy  of  our  sheep  had  rambled  from  camp  during  the 
rain,  and  had  not  been  found.  I  mounted  a  horse  as  soon  as 
practicable,  and  proceeded  in  quest  of  them,  leaving  directions 
with  two  of  the  hands  to  follow  me  as  soon  as  they  could  get 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


189 


horses,  and  to  meet  me  at  a  given  point.  Having  searched  to 
the  distance  of  three  miles,  without  success,  it  became  very 
dark,  and  we  were  in  danger  of  losing  ourselves.  We  had 
great  reason  to  fear  that  our  flock  would  suffer  by  the  wolves. 
I  was  after  them  again  early  on  the  following  morning,  and  about 
three  miles  from  camp  recovered  all  except  one.  It  required 
the  whole  of  this  day  to  get  our  stock,  &c.,  across  the  river,  and 
it  rained  on  us  nearly  all  the  time.  The  men  being  wet  and 
much  chilled  with  cold,  we  had  a  large  fire  burning  for  them  at 
camp  by  the  time  they  had  completed  their  day's  work.  From 
the  Indians  we  obtained  a  little  sugar. 

April  the  28th,  the  canoe  which  we  had  been  using  for  a 
ferry  boat  was  again  loaded  and  pushed  off,  with  two  men  only. 
It  rained  on  us  till  one  o'clock.  Our  sheep,  in  consequence  of 
so  much  exposure  to  wet,  began  to  fail,  and  as  they  failed  we 
laid  them  in  our  wagon  until  we  had  room  for  no  more ;  we 
then  halted  the  sheep,  and  left  two  men  to  take  care  of  them, 
while  the  rest  of  us  hurried  onward.  Our  Indian  mounted  the 
horses  and  drove  the  wagon  ;  Mr.  Wright  conveyed  two  horses, 
while  I  brought  on  three  other  horses  and  the  twelve  head  of 
cattle.  At  Bertrand's  trading  house  we  found  fire,  by  which  to 
warm  ourselves,  and  a  palatable  meal,  both  of  which  we  greatly 
needed.  Here  we  left  our  wagon  and  cattle,  and  each  mount 
ing  a  horse,  soon  found  ourselves  in  the  company  of  our 
family,  vrq  ei 

None  except  one  who  has  been  in  similar  circumstances  can 
duly  appreciate  the  gratification  which  it  afforded,  after  a  tedious 
journey  of  six  weeks,  now  to  be  surrounded  by  between  fifty 
and  sixty  persons  of  our  family,  who  came  to  take  me  by  the 
hand.  One  hired  hand  was  sick  with  ague,  and  my  poor  wife 
had  been  in  imperfect  health  during  the  whole  of  my  absence. 
Her  multiform  cares  and  labours  had  been  too  great  a  burden, 
while  the  poorness  of  our  living  had  not  allowed  her  the  com 
forts  which  indisposition  required.  Mr.  Lykins's  attention  to 
business  had,  as  usual,  been  faithful  and  judicious.  We  had  at 
this  time  thirty-nine  Indian  scholars  in  our  family ;  these  were 
pursuing  their  studies  and  labours  promisingly.  Preparations 
for  a  crop,  and  our  other  business,  were  all  as  far  advanced  as 
could  have  been  expected.  We  arrived  in  time  barely  to  save 
the  family  from  suffering  for  want  of  bread  ;  two  days  they  had 
been  on  short  allowance,  and  had  not  ventured  to  make  bread 
of  their  flour,  but  merely  used  a  little  in  thickening  soup. 
Then  we  wrote  in  our  journal :  "  Many  are  thy  mercies,  O 


190  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

Lord !  By  thee  we  have  run  through  a  troop  of  difficulties, 
and  by  our  God  we  have  leaped  over  walls  of  obstacles." 

Mr.  C.  Bruce,  a  trusty  young  man,  became  not  a  little  sick, 
on  account,  no  doubt,  of  his  exposures  on  our  late  journey  from 
Fort  Wayne.  There  was  not  a  day  on  which  he  and  others 
were  not  wetted  either  by  rains  or  by  wading  waters.  My 
hands  and  wrists  remained  swollen  for  some  days,  by  having 
been  so  much  in  the  water,  On  the  4th  of  May  I  enjoyed  once 
more  the  privilege  of  preaching  at  home. 

In  hiring  hands,  we  had  not  been  successful  in  getting  a  work 
man  who  could  make  a  plough,  harrow,  &c.,  and  I  was  required 
to  superintend  this  business.  Our  smithery  was  in  operation  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Indians,  and  our  house  was  visited  by  them 
daily.  On  the  14th  of  May,  about  forty  called,  and  desired  our 
assistance  in  transacting  business  with  Governour  Cass. 

On  suffering  the  loss  of  our  property  by  the  capsizing  of  the 
canoe,  we  employed  a  man  to  bring  us  on  two  wagon  loads  of 
seed  potatoes  and  seed  corn,  and  corn,  flour,  and  peas,  for  imme 
diate  use  for  food,  together  with  some  other  articles  of  which  we 
were  in  great  want.  The  badness  of  the  road  and  high  water 
induced  him,  as  those  circumstances  had  done  us  at  first,  to 
make  a  canoe  and  embark  the  load  at  the  same  place  that  we 
had  freighted  ours.  On  the  22d  of  May  we  had  the  grief  to 
hear  that  his  canoe  had  met  with  a  fate  similar  to  that  of  ours, 
and  within  four  rods  of  the  same  place.  A  less  proportion  of 
this  load  was  saved  than  of  the  former.  All  our  potatoes  and 
peas  were  lost,  and  we  were  in  danger  of  losing  almost  an 
entire  crop  of  those  articles,  for  want  of  seed.  They  saved  a 
little  corn,  but  only  one  and  a  half  bushels  was  undamaged. 
The  nominal  loss  was  about  two-thirds  of  the  whole  of  the  two 
wagon  loads,  but  the  loss  to  us  really  was  much  greater,  and 
was  one  which  we  had  reason  to  fear  would  be  felt  the  next 
year.  The  man  was  to  blame,  because  he  ought  to  have 
taken  warning  from  our  misfortune,  and  not  have  encountered 
a  similar  risk ;  but  it  was  done,  and  we  were  left  to  a  scanty 
allowance  of  bread  stuff.  Our  next  supplies  we  expected  to 
receive  by  way  of  the  lakes,  which  we  hoped  would  reach  us 
about  the  15th  of  June.  On  the  23d  of  May  we  sent  again  to 
Fort  Wayne  for  supplies.  I  went  abroad  myself,  and  obtained 
a  few  seed  potatoes  in  our  own  neighbourhood.  We  sent  to 
the  distance  of  thirty  miles  to  buy  corn  and  potatoes  from  the 
natives,  but  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  a  competent  supply. 

Our  business  requiring  me  to  make  a  journey  to  Grand  river, 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


191 


for  the  purpose  of  putting  matters  into  operation  at  that  con 
templated  station  among  the  Ottawas,  I  left  Carey  on  the  26th 
of  May,  taking  with  me  a  Frenchman,  named  Paget,  for  a 
pilot,  one  of  our  Indian  pupils,  and  one  of  the  men  who  had 
been  employed  to  labour  there  under  Government.  We  were 
at  this  time  so  scarce  of  flour  that  we  could  not  take  a  compe 
tent  supply  for  our  journey.  I  felt  very  unhappy  on  leaving 
the  family  so  scarce  of  bread  that  they  were  under  the  neces 
sity  at  every  meal,  when  they  used  it  at  all,  to  count  the  pieces, 
and  make  the  number  correspond  to  that  of  the  family.  We 
had  runners  almost  continually  in  search  of  corn  to  buy  from 
the  Indians,  and  we  feared  that  every  bushel  would  be  the  last 
that  we  should  be  able  to  get. 

We  swam  our  horses  across  St.  Joseph's  river  beside  a  canoe, 
and  in  a  neighbouring  village  I  was  happy  to  engage  an  Indian 
to  carry  back  to  the  family  a  bushel  of  corn.  On  the  second 
day  we  perceived  that  we  had  taken  a  wrong  path,  and  I  disco 
vered  that  Paget  had  become  bewildered  in  his  head  in  regard 
to  our  true  course,  and  I  resolved  on  steering  according  to  my 
own  inclination.  We  were  happy  to  find  an  Indian  in  camp  in 
the  evening,  of  whom  we  obtained  venison,  which  was  the  more 
acceptable  because  we  could  use  it  well  without  much  bread. 
Kekenmazoo*  river  was  almost  swimming  to  our  horses. 

Among  the  Ottawa  villages  which  we  passed,  there  was  one 
in  which  the  natives  were  drinking.  All  appeared  friendly  to 
us  except  one,  who  was  somewhat  otherwise.  The  women 
were  drinking  in  a  house  by  themselves.  While  I  allowed  my 
horse  to  graze  a  few  minutes,  five  or  six  yards  from  me,  three 
pigeons  which  we  had  shot  on  the  way  were  stolen  from  my 
saddle,  where  I  had  tied  them,  with  the  design  of  cooking  them 
for  our  next  meal.  Unwilling  to  bear  the  loss  when  we  were 
in  want,  I  demanded  my  fowls,  and  they  were  restored. 

On  the  30th  of  May,  by  the  help  of  an  Indian  and  his  canoer 
we  crossed  Grand  river  at  the  village  of  Kewikishkum,  who 
was  absent.  I  called  on  another  chief,  who  sent  to  inform  the 
former,  as  well  as  other  chiefs,  that  I  had  arrived,  and  desired  to 
see  them.  We  bought  a  little  sweet  corn,  and  boiled  it  for  our 
breakfast. 

Mr.  Sears  had  described  to  me  the  place  at  which  the  com 
missioner  had  located  the  site  for  our  Ottawa  station,  in  such 
terms  that  I  had  fancied  that  I  should  recognise  it  at  sight ;  but,, 

*  I  prefer  retaining  the  original  and  true  pronunciation  of  this  river, 
which,  by  corruption,  is  now  called  Kallamazob. 


192  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

following  the  directions  as  I  had  understood  them,  I  found  no 
place  in  any  degree  answering  to  the  description  given  me,  nor 
could  I  hear  of  such  a  place  on  the  river.  I  searched  down 
the  river  nine  miles,  and  on  the  following  day  returned  to  Kewi- 
kishkum's  village,  the  inhabitants  of  which  had  been  drinking 
during  the  preceding  night.  The  principal  chief  had  not  ar 
rived,  and  they  desired  me  to  remain  a  few  days.  1  told  them 
that  I  should  address  them  in  council  on  the  following  day.  I 
reconnoitred  the  country  in  order  to  select  a  building  place, 
and  lodged  at  a  trading  house.  At  this  place  an  old  woman 
brought  her  son  to  me,  that  I  might  heal  him  of  the  disease  of 
convulsive  fits,  with  which  he  had  been  afflicted  from  infancy, 
and  by  which  he  had  become  an  idiot.  She  said  that  a  relation 
of  hers  had  informed  her  that  one  of  her  children  had  been  af 
flicted  in  the  same  manner,  and  that  a  Catholic  priest  had  cured 
the  diseased  by  his  prayers.  She  had  taken  this  young  man  to 
an  Indian  who  was  reputed  to  be  skilful  in  such  cases,  but  the 
conjurer  had  not  succeeded  in  this.  He  alleged,  as  the  cause 
of  his  failure,  that  this  disease  was  under  the  influence  of  the 
moon,  and  he  could  not  control  the  moon.  She  had  applied 
with  no  better  success  to  a  second  conjurer,  who  also  attributed 
the  affliction  to  the  influence  of  the  moon.  Both  physicians, 
however,  had  united  in  opinion  that  I  could  control  the  moon, 
and  heal  the  diseased ;  and,  accordingly,  they  had  advised  her 
to  bring  her  son  to  me,  which  she  had  done.  She  believed 
that  I  had  power  to  heal  her  son,  as  the  Indian  doctors  had  re 
ported,  in  which  opinion  she  was  confirmed  by  discovering  a 
favourable  change  in  the  symptoms  of  the  disease  since  my 
arrival.  I  patiently  listened  to  the  old  woman's  tale  before  I 
said  any  thing  in  reply,  and  the  purport  of  my  answer  may  easily 
be  conjectured. 

On  my  return  to  the  village,  at  which  I  hoped  to  obtain  an 
audience  of  the  chiefs  and  others,  I  was  informed  that  Kewi- 
kishkum  had  not  yet  arrived,  but  that  he  had  sent  a  message  re 
questing  me  to  remain  until  he  would  come.  Pretty  soon  they 
were  discovered  to  have  whiskey  among  them.  I  desired  them  to 
forbear  drinking  until  I  had  addressed  them,  but  to  this  they  did 
not  consent,  but  renewed  their  request  that  I  would  remain  un 
til  the  arrival  of  their  principal  chief,  as  they  could  not  transact 
any  business  without  him.  "  When  they  were  among  the  whites 
on  business,"  they  said,  (i  they  had  to  await  their  will;  and  as  I 
was  now  among  them,  I  must  do  the  same,  and  wait  until  they 
were  ready  to  hear  me;"  This  I  chose  not  to  do;  business, 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


193 


and  the  situation  of  the  family  at  home  in  relation  to  bread, 
made  it  necessary  for  me  to  return  without  further  delay. 

While  among  the  Ottawas,  1  ascertained  that  their  backward 
ness  to  meet  me  in  council,  on  the  subject  of  a  mission  among 
them,  grew  out  of  their  dissatisfaction  with  the  proceedings  at  the 
treaty  of  Chicago.  The  main  body  of  the  tribe  denied  iiaving 
authorized  the  sale  of  their  country  to  the  whites.  They  threw 
the  blame  on  Kewikishkum ;  and  the  latter,  perhaps  from  a 
sense  of  having  erred,  and  certainly  for  fear  of  their  doing  him 
personal  injury,  chose  not  to  appear  in  council  on  any  matter 
that  had  grown  out  of  that  treaty.  The  tribe,  as  a  people,  con 
sidered  the  sale  of  their  country  illegal,  because,  as  they  said, 
it  had  not  been  authorized  by  them.  They  intended  to  insist 
upon  its  illegality,  and  hoped  to  retain  possession  ;  they  es 
teemed  the  circumstance  of  my  offering  to  furnish  them  with  a 
school,  blacksmith,  &tc.,  as  a  stratagem  to  get  them  to  act  in  the 
matter  upon  some  of  the  provisions  of  the  treaty,  and  thereby 
make  the  whole  binding  upon  them.  A  report  had  been  circu 
lated  among  them  that,  ultimately,  we  designed  to  compel  the 
Putawatomies  to  pay  ten  dollars  for  each  scholar  instructed  io 
our  school ;  and  they  expected  that  the  expense  of  supporting 
a  teacher,  blacksmith,  and  farmers  for  them,  according  to  the 
provisions  of  the  treaty,  would  be  taken  out  of  their  annuities. 
To  persons  unaccustomed  to  the  prejudices  which  prevailed 
among  those  northern  tribes  generally,  the  state  of  things  at  that 
time  among  the  Ottawas  would  have  appeared  more  discourag 
ing  than  it  did  to  us ;  we  had  been  accustomed  to  meet  simi 
lar  prejudices  wherever  we  introduced  ourselves,  and  we  had 
learned  that  nothing  but  a  personal  acquaintance  could  remove 
them.  By  this  we  had  succeeded  to  a  great  extent  among  the 
Miamies  and  Putawatomies,  and  we  hoped  for  similar  success  by 
similar  means  among  the.  Ottawas.  We  knew  that  it  would 
only  be  necessary  to  satisfy  them  that  our  motives  were  pure — 
that  our  sole  object  was  their  benefit — and  access  to  them  would 
become  easy,  Whatever  might  be  their  prejudices  against  our 
Government,  or  against  the  white  people  generally.  We  had 
employed  two  men  who  were  to  begin  improvements  among 
the  Ottawas,  but  these  we  set  to  work  for  us  among  the  Puta 
watomies. 

Just  as  I  was  leaving  the  village,  I  saw  a  company  of  women 
carrying  kettles  of  food  to  the  grave  of  a  child  who  had  been 
buried  a  few  weeks  previously.  The  nature  of  this  funeral  rite, 
as  it  was  described  to  me  at  the  time,  is  as  follows  :  A  few 
days  after  the  burial  of  a  child,  the  father,  or  mother,  or  if 
25 


194  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

neither  of  these  be  living  and  present,  another  of  the  near 
relations  to  the  deceased,  makes  a  feast.  The  food  is  prepared 
and  carried  to  the  grave,  to  which  the  company  of  sympathizing 
friends  repair.  If  the  feast  be  prepared  by  a  man,  none  but 
men  attend,  and  the  same  principle  applies  to  the  females. 
When  assembled  at  the  grave,  the  ruler  of  the  feast  distributes 
to  each  of  the  attendants  a  portion  of  the  food  which  has  been 
prepared,  and  each,  before  eating  any,  puts  a  small  quantity  on 
the  head  of  the  grave.  A  small  aperture  is  usually  made  in 
the  poles  or  boards  which  cover  the  dead,  through  which  the 
food  is  passed.  If  it  be  a  company  of  females,  and  one  of  their 
number  be  esteemed  profligate,  she  is  not  permitted  to  make 
the  offering  to  the  dead  from  her  own  hands,  but  another  re 
ceives  it  at  her  hand,  and  offers  it  in  her  behalf.  After  the 
offerings  are  made  to  the  deceased,  the  remainder  of  the  food  is 
eaten  by  the  company.  Similar  feasts  are  prepared  for  adults 
as  well  as  for  children,  and  when  the  party  consists  of  males, 
addresses  are  made  to  the  deceased.  These  festivals  are  usually 
repeated  once  a  year.  On  returning  from  their  wintering 
grounds  to  their  villages  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  the  grass 
and  weeds  are  carefully  removed  from  about  the  graves  of  de 
ceased  relatives,  and  none  is  permitted  to  grow  there  during  the 
summer. 

I  found  none  who  possessed  distinct  ideas  on  the  subject  of 
their  religious  ceremonies.  There  has  been  a  time,  no  doubt, 
when  something  more  like  system  was  observed  in  the  small 
amount  of  religion  embraced  by  their  pretensions  ;  but  changes  in 
their  original  ceremonies  have  been  progressing  ever  since  their 
acquaintance  with  white  people.  Keeshwa,  the  aged  Putawa- 
tomie  female  of  whom  mention  has  been  made,  and  who  was 
long  an  inmate  of  our  family,  has  stated  to  us,  with  tears,  that 
since  her  recollection  there  had  been  great  deterioration  in  the 
observance  of  religious  ceremonies.  "  Formerly,"  said  she,  "  on 
the  return  of  the  Indians  to  their  villages  in  the  spring,  prepara 
tion  was  early  made  for  a  feast.  This  would  require  a  day,  or 
more.  At  noon,  on  the  day  appointed,  men,  women,  and  chil 
dren  would  assemble,  when  an  elderly  and  respectable  man 
would  proclaim  aloud,  that  the  time  for  them  to  take  their  seats 
had  arrived.  All  being  seated,  he  would  make  a  speech  to  them, 
and  they  would  sing  a  song  to  the  Great  Spirit.  The  elderly 
leader  would  follow,  with  a  prayer  in  behalf  of  the  company, 
in  which  thanks  were  returned  for  their  preservation  through 
the  past  winter,  and  for  their  safe  arrival  at  their  villages,  and 
prayer  made  for  a  blessing  on  their  labours  through  the  summer. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  i  95 

On  these  occasions  such  language  as  tiie  following  was  em 
ployed  :  '  Oh  !  our  Father,  we  want  corn,  we  want  beans,  &c. ; 
pity  us,  and  give  us  these  things.'  After  the  prayer,  all  would 
eat,  and  after  a  little  respite  they  would  again  sing.  Singing 
was  repeated  four  times  during  the  service.  After  the  due 
observance  of  this  festival,  all  felt  at  liberty  to  commence  pre 
parations  for  planting  their  fields.  These  meetings,"  said  she, 
"  were  affecting,  and  frequently  1  wept  all  the  time." 

Among  the  Ottawas  we  often  discover  at  the  head  of  a 
grave,  even  of  a  child,  a  post,  in  height  somewhat  proportioned 
to  the  size  and  age  of  the  deceased,  on  one  side  of  which  is 
the  picture  of  an  animal,  the  name  of  which  was  a  prevailing 
name  in  the  family;  for  instance,  one  of  the  family  would  be 
called  Panther,  another  Panther's  Foot,  another  Panther's 
Track,  &LC.  ;  hence  there  would  be  made  on  the  post  the 
picture  of  a  panther.  On  another  side  a  clumsy  drawing, 
slightly  resembling  a  man  without  a  head,  would  represent  a 
person  whom  the  deceased  had  slain  in  war ;  or,  if  it  were  a 
child,  the  victims  of  some  of  its  near  relations  would  be  thus 
pictured.  A  man  with  a  head  signified  a  person  wounded  ;  and 
these  hieroglyphics  were  multiplied  as  circumstances  would 
justify.  Vanity,  no  doubt,  often  induced  them  to  swell  the 
number  beyond  the  facts  which  they  were  designed  to  indicate. 
Near  this  post  is  placed  a  stick,  about  two  feet  in  length ;  and 
when  one  visits  the  grave,  he  takes  this  stick,  and  raps  on  the 
post,  as  if  to  announce  his  arrival. 

Posts,  some  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  are  frequently  erected  by 
the  side  of  a  dwelling;  and  they  are  invariably  placed  by  the 
side  of  a  house  in  which  dancing  and  conjuring  occur,  for  the 
recovery  of  the  sick.  On  the  upper  end  of  the  post  is  cut  a 
slight  resemblance  of  a  human  face.  Mr.  Lykins  discovered 
one  on  Qrand  river,  among  the  Ottawas,  on  which  was  a  pretty 
well  executed  bust.  In  a  village  we  also  sometimes  discover  a 
very  tall  pole,  neatly  peeled,  with  a  few  streaks  of  vermilion 
encircling  it,  to  the  top  of  which  is  tied  a  bunch  of  small  green 
boughs.  This  tall  pole  is  reared  for  religious  purposes ;  but  its 
use,  or  that  of  the  others,  I  never  could  satisfactorily  learn. 

Having  spent  the  night  at  th6  trading  house,  on  the  2d  of 
June  we  swam  our  horses  across  Grand  river,  and  proceeded 
towards  home.  Our  scanty  allowance  of  provision  brought 
from  home  had  been  some  time  exhausted.  On  Grand  river 
we  had  obtained  corn,  but  scarcely  any  meat,  except  a  meal  of 
a  ground  hog.  We  had  hired  an  Indian  to  beat  a  little  corn  in 
a  mortar,  and  make  us  a  cake.  This  was  poor  bread  for  our 


196 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


journey  ;  and,  what  was  still  worse,  we  had  not  half  enough  of 
it.  About  eight  or  nine  o'clock,  Paget's  horse  failed,  and  we 
left  him  in  the  woods.  On  the  following  night,  my  horse, 
having  no  company,  endeavoured  to  escape.  1  had  taken  the 
precaution  to  hobble  him  with  my  own  hands,  as  I  thought, 
securely  ;  but  he  broke  his  hobbles,  and  it  was  ten  o'clock  the 
next  day  before  the  men  recovered  him,  and  brought  him  back 
to  camp.  They  had  well  nigh  lost  themselves,  so  as  to  be 
unable  to  find  camp.  The  time  of  their  absence  I  employed 
in  boiling  sweet  corn,  a  little  of  which  we  had  purchased  of 
the  Ottawas ;  but  1  had  no  vessel  to  boil  it  in  larger  than  a  pint 
tin  cup,  and  as  it  softened  a  little,  I  emptied  it  on  a  piece  of 
bark,  and  filled  the  cup  afresh.  By  this  means  I  was  able  to 
prepare  enough  for  our  breakfast  previous  to  leaving  camp. 
On  this  day  we  called  at  an  Indian  town,  to  get  something  to 
eat,  but  could  get  nothing  more  than  a  few  Irish  potatoes. 
These  1  relished  so  well,  that  I  fancied  they  were  a  more  ex 
cellent  kind  of  potato  than  1  had  ever  seen.  I  obtained  two 
or  three,  to  carry  home  for  seed,  on  account  of  their  superior 
quality.  They  were  afterwards  cultivated  with  great  care,  but 
proved  to  be  uncommonly  poor;  it  became  obvious  that  the 
high  character  which  I  had  given  them  was  attributable  alone  to 
the  keenness  of  appetite  with  which  I  had  first  eaten  of  them? 
and  not  to  the  flavour  of  the  root. 

At  the  house  of  Gosa,  on  Kekenmazoo  river,  we  were  treated 
with  great  hospitality.  Here  we  had  meat,  but  no  bread.  I 
handed  out  a  little  tea,  which  his  wife  prepared.  They  had  no 
table,  but  a  cloth  was  spread  upon  the  floor,  and  we  all  seated 
ourselves  around  it,  with  the  landlady  among  us,  for  the  purpose 
of  pouring  the  tea,  which  was  handed  to  us  in  bowls,  and  cooled 
in  wooden  ladles.  The  feet  of  one  of  the  men  had  become  so 
sore  that  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  leave  him  and  the  Indian 
at  this  place,  to  recruit. 

The  morning  of  the  4th  of  June,  1823,  was  made  memo 
rable  to  me  by  reflections  on  the  discouragements  attending  all 
missionary  efforts  for  the  Indians,  in  countries  from  which  they 
soon  must  be  driven  by  approaching  white  population.  While 
Paget  went  on  before,  on  foot,  with  his  pack  upon  his  back, 
and  I  followed  on  horseback,  tormented  by  flies  and  musketoes, 
I  felt  the  additional  pain  of  the  reflection,  that  "  after  all  our 
labours  to  put  our  missions  into  operation,  we  shall  in  a  few 
years  be  driven  away,  to  encounter  new  hardships  in  another 
part  of  the  wilderness,  or  if  we  remain  here,  it  will  be  only  to 
witness  the  decline  and  ultimate  ruin  of  the  people  of  our 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


197 


charge,  for  no  band  of  Indians  has  ever  thriven  when  crowded 
by  white  population.  Hardly  can  we  hope  to  surmount  present 
obstacles,  and  do  the  Indians  a  little  good,  before  our  business 
here  must  fail,  by  causes  which  we  cannot  control."  At  this 
time  I  formed  the  resolution  that  I  would,  Providence  permit 
ting,  thenceforward  keep  steadily  in  view,  and  endeavour  to 
promote  a  plan  for  colonizing  the  natives  in  a  country  to  be 
made  for  ever  theirs,  west  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  &c.,  and 
from  that  time  until  the  present  I  have  considered  the  promo 
tion  of  this  design  as  the  most  important  business  of  my  life. 

We  arrived  at  Carey  on  the  5th  of  June,  and  1  wrote  as 
follows  in  my  journal:  "Never  did  I  feel  myself  more  blest 
than  on  finding  harmony,  patience,  cheerfulness,  and  hope, 
abounding  in  our  large  family,  under  peculiarly  trying  and  threat 
ening  circumstances.  The  allowance  of  bread  had  become 
very  short,  and  the  stock  of  corn  was  almost  exhausted  ;  yet 
none  complained,  and  all  hoped  for  better  times.  Mr.  Lykins 
was  in  quest  of  corn,  and  obtained  about  a  bushel  and  a  half, 
and  gave  it  as  his  opinfon,  that  if  we  could  get  all  that  the 
natives  had  for  their  own  use  within  many  miles  around  us,  it 
would  not  suffice  our  family  two  weeks.  In  my  absence  they 
had  obtained  some  seed  potatoes,  to  supply  the  place  of  those 
lost  by  the  capsizing  of  our  canoe.  On  the  2d  of  June  the 
school  had  been  divided,  and  the  females  placed  in  charge  of 
Miss  Wright,  who  had  lately  been  hired  in  Ohio. 

At  that  time,  also,  the  establishment  was  visited  by  Major 
S.  H.  Long  and  his  party,  consisting  of  Messrs.  J.  E.  Colhoon, 
Thomas  Say,  Samuel  Seymore,  and  William  H.  Keating,  on 
their  way  to  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.  Amidst  our  doubts 
and  anxieties,  we  derived  some  encouragement  from  the  appro 
val  of  our  operations  by  disinterested  and  discriminating  stran 
gers,  who  occasionally  favoured  us  with  a  call,  as  they  iour- 
neyed  through  the  wilderness.  The  following  is  extracted  from 
Mr.  Keating's  account  of  the  mission,  as  recorded  in  the  first 
volume  of  Major  Long's  Expedition  to  the  Sources  of  the  St. 
Peter's.  Passing  from  Fort  Wayne  to  Chicago,  he  remarks : 
"  There  is  in  this  neighbourhood  an  establishment,  which,  by 
the  philanthropic  views  which  have  led  to  its  establishment, 
and  by  the  boundless  charity  with  which  it  is  administered, 
compensates  in  a  manner  for  the  insult  offered  to  the  laws  of 
God  and  man  by  the  traders.  The  reports  which  we  had 
received  of  the  flattering  success  which  had  attended  the  efforts 
of  the  Baptist  missionaries  on  the  St.  Joseph's,  induced  us  to 
deviate  a  little  from  our  route,  to  visit  this  interesting  establish- 


198 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


ment.  The  Carey  mission  house,  so  designated  in  honour  of 
the  late  Mr.  Carey,  the  indefatigable  apostle  of  India,  is  situ 
ated  within  about  a  mile  of  the  river  St.  Joseph's.  The  estab 
lishment  was  created  by  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  in 
Washington,  and  is  under  the  superintendence  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
McCoy,  a  man  whom,  from  all  the  reports  we  heard  of  him, 
we  should  consider  as  eminently  qualified  for  the  important  trust 
committed  to  him.  We  regretted  that,  at  the  time  we  passed 
at  the  Carey  mission  house,  this  gentleman  was  absent  on  busi 
ness  connected  with  the  establishment  of  another  missionary 
settlement  on  the  Grand  river  of  Michigan;  but  we  saw  his 
wife,  who  received  us  in  a  very  hospitable  manner,  and  gave  us 
every  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  circum 
stances  of  the  school.  The  spot  was  covered  with  a  very 
dense  forest  seven  months  before  the  time  we  visited  it ;  but, 
by  the  great  activity  of  the  superintendent,  he  has  succeeded 
in  the  course  of  this  short  time  in  building  six  good  log  houses, 
four  of  which  afford  a  comfortable  residence  to  the  inmates  of 
the  establishment,  a  fifth  is  used  as  a  school  room,  and  the  sixth 
forms  a  commodious  blacksmith's  shop.  In  addition  to  this, 
they  have  cleared  about  fifty  acres  of  land,  which  are  nearly 
all  enclosed  by  a  substantial  fence.  Forty  acres  have  already 
been  ploughed,  and  planted  with  maize,  and  every  step  has 
been  taken  to  place  the  establishment  upon  an  independent 
footing.  The  school  consists  of  from  forty  to  sixty  children. 
It  is  contemplated  that  the  school  will  soon  be  increased  to  one 
hundred.  The  plan  adopted  appears  to  be  a  very  judicious 
one.  The  plan  adopted  in  the  school  purposes  to  unite  a  prac 
tical  with  an  intellectual  education.  The  boys  are  instructed 
in  the  English  language,  in  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic  ; 
they  are  made  to  attend  to  the  usual  occupations  of  a  farm, 
and  to  perform  every  operation  connected  with  it,  such  as 
ploughing,  planting,  harrowing,  &c.;  in  these  pursuits  they  ap 
pear  to  take  great  delight.  The  system  being  well  regulated, 
they  find  time  for  every  thing ;  not  only  for  study  and  labour, 
but  also  for  innocent  recreation,  in  which  they  are  encouraged 
to  indulge  ;  and  the  hours  allotted  to  recreation  may  perhaps 
be  viewed  as  productive  of  results  fully  as  important  as  those 
accruing  from  more  serious  pursuits.  The  females  receive  in 
the  school  the  same  instruction  which  is  given  to  the  boys; 
and  are,  in  addition  to  this,  taught  spinning,  weaving,  and  sew 
ing,  both  plain  and  ornamental.  They  were  just  beginning  to 
embroider ;  an  occupation  which  may,  by  some,  be  considered 
as  unsuitable  to  the  situation  which  they  are  destined  to  hold  in 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


199 


life,  but  which  appears  to  us  very  judiciously  used  as  a  reward 
and  stimulus.  They  are  likewise  made  to  attend  to  the  pursuits 
of  the  dairy,  such  as  milking  of  cows,  &c.  All  appear  to  be 
very  happy,  and  to  make  as  rapid  progress  as  white  children  of 
the  same  age  would  make.  Their  principal  excellence  rests  in 
works  of  imitation  ;  they  write  astonishingly  well,  and  many 
display  great  natural  talent  for  drawing.  The  institution  re 
ceives  the  countenance  of  the  most  respectable  among  the 
Indians.  There  are  in  the  school  two  of  the  grand  children  of 
Topenebe,  the  great  hereditary  chief  of  the  Putawatomies. 
The  Indians  visit  the  establishment  occasionally,  and  appear 
pleased  with  it. 

"  The  [mission]  family  have  a  flock  of  one  hundred  sheep, 
collected  in  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and  Ohio,  and  are  daily 
expecting  two  hundred  head  of  cattle  from  the  same  States. 
These  contributions,  together  with  the  produce  of  their  farm, 
will,  it  is  thought,  prevent  them  from  being  exposed  to  suffer  as 
much  from  scarcity  of  provisions  as  they  have  already  done. 
When  we  visited  them,  they  were  on  short  allowance." 

The  following  are  extracts  from  our  journal : 

"On  my  return  from  my  late  tour  among  the  Ottawas,  I  was 
severely  attacked  with  cholera  rnorbus,  and  many  others  of  the 
family  became  similarly  indisposed. 

"June  9th.  I  am  able  to  walk  about  and  write  a  little. 
Several  of  the  family  ill  of  dysentery  ;  one  man  dangerously 
sick.  We  suppose  that  our  indisposition  has  been  occa 
sioned  by  the  absence  of  wholesome  food,  and  particularly  by 
the  want  of  bread,  of  which,  for  some  time  past,  the  family 
have  eaten  scarcely  any.  We  cannot  afford  even  the  sick  half 
as  much  as  they  need,  and  that  little  which  they  get  is  made  of 
flour  greatly  damaged. 

"  We  expected  the  arrival  of  a  wagon,  with  flour,  &c.,  before 
this  time,  but,  hearing  nothing  of  it,  we  sent  another  team  to 
Fort  Wayne  after  supplies. 

"  June  13th.  We  sent  out  two  men  to  purchase  corn,  if  any 
can  be  found,  not  having  enough  to  last  through  the  day. 
Obtained  a  small  quantity  of  corn  from  an  Indian,  and  a  little 
damaged  flour  from  a  trader.  The  Indian  had  not  the  corn  to 
spare  without  risking  his  own  comfort,  and  refused  to  sell  it,  but 
said, "  It  is  too  hard  to  be  hungry;  I  will  give  my  father  that 
sack  full ;  I  believe  I  will  lose  nothing  by  if. ;  I  think  he  will 
give  me  an  equal  quantity  when  he  shall  get  corn.' 

"  June  15th.  One  hundred  and  twenty-one  head  of  cattle 
arrived,  which  had  been  collected  for  the  mission  by  the  Rev. 


200 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


Mr.  Martin,  chiefly  in  Kentucky,  and  which  were  brought  to 
us  by  the  Rev.  John  Ficklin,  who  had  been  employed  by 
Mr.  Martin.  The  drove  at  first  consisted  of  over  two  hundred 
head.  Some  failed  and  were  lost  on  the  way,  and  fifty-five 
head  were  left  at  Fort  Wayne  to  recruit.  This  was  a  valuable 
acquisition  to  the  property  of  the  mission.  We  were  in  great 
want  of  cattle,  but  had  not  hoped  for  so  large  a  drove." 

The  great  difficulty  attending  the  transportation  of  bread  stuff 
by  land,  two  hundred  miles  through  a  wilderness,  had  admon 
ished  us  to  make  an  engagement  with  the  captain  of  a  vessel 
on  the  lakes,  to  bring  us  a  load  by  water  to  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Joseph's  river,  which  was  scarcely  thirty  miles  distant  from 
us.  We  expected  the  flour  as  early  in  the  season  as  vessels 
could  sail  on  the  upper  lakes,  and  anticipated  the  relief  it  would 
afford  with  not  a  little  satisfaction.  It  was  to  be  delivered  by  the 
15th  of  June,  and  at  a  price  agreed  upon  ;  but  unfortunately  for 
us,  the  man  with  whom  we  had  contracted  found,  nearer  home, 
what  he  deemed  a  better  market  for  his  flour,  and  left  us  destitute. 
This  was  a  grievous  disappointment,  and  one  which  subjected  us 
to  great  inconvenience  and  cost.  WTe  sensibly  felt  this  ungenerous 
deed,  and  knew  thai  the  man  who  had  been  so  depraved  as  to  com 
mit  it  deserved  to  suffer  damages,  to  which  he  had  become  liable. 
But  we  had  no  time  to  institute  or  attend  lawsuits.  We  wrote 
to  a  friend  immediately,  requesting  him  to  make  another  con 
tract  for  flour,  &c.,  for  us,  to  come  to  us  as  soon  as  possible  by 
way  of  the  lakes.  The  disappointment  extended  also  to  many 
other  articles  greatly  needed  at  the  establishment,  and  which  we 
expected  by  the  vessel  that  would  bring  our  flour.  Our  chief 
reliance  for  bread,  until  we  could  make  it  at  the  establishment, 
was  to  transport  it  in  wagons  two  hundred  miles.  This  was 
very  expensive ;  but  our  necessities  induced  us  to  hurry  off 
teams  without  delay. 

On  the  23d  of  June,  1822,  agreeably  to  the  resolution  taken 
on  the  4th,  I  wrote  letters  on  the  subject  of  colonizing  the  In 
dians  in  the  west  to  His  Excellency  Lewis  Cass,  Governour  of 
Michigan  Territory,  Col.  R.  M.  Johnson,  and  his  brother,  Hon. 
John  T.  Johnson,  both  members  of  Congress,  John  Johnson, 
Esq.,  of  Ohio,  and  William  Polke,  Esq.,  of  Indiana. 

The  plan  submitted  to  the  consideration  of  these  gentle 
men  was  to  form  an  association  of  such  kind  hearted  men  in 
various  places  as  would  secure  a  weighty  memorial  to  Congress 
in  favour  of  colonizing  the  Indians  in  the  west.  It  was  sug 
gested,  that  if  the  scheme  should  be  countenanced  by  Govern 
ment,  it  would  be  necessary  to  authorize  the  selection  of  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


201 


country.  To  make  the  matter  the  more  easy,  it  was  proposed 
to  begin  settlements  with  Indian  youths  who  had  been  instructed 
in  our  schools,  and  their  relations  and  friends.  It  was  thought 
that  each  denomination  of  Christians  which  had  missions  on  the 
east  of  the  Mississippi  would  be  so  warmly  in  favour  of  the 
plan,  that  they  would  severally  encourage  the  people  of  their 
charge  to  emigrate.  Besides  the  land  which  might  be  given  to 
each  tribe  as  common  property,  each  individual  might  be  allowed 
to  own  a  portion  separately  as  his  own,  under  such  restrictions 
only  as  would  be  required  by  a  due  regard  to  their  peculiar  con^ 
dition.  There,  it  was  hoped,  the  Indians  might  become  organ 
ized  into  a  civil  community,  and  ultimately  become  citizens  of 
the  United  States. 

In  the  attention  given  to  this  communication  by  these  gentle 
men,  1  had  no  reason  to  complain  of  a  want  of  courtesy,  but  I 
had  little  reason  to  hope  for  their  zealous  eo-operation  in  accom 
plishing  the  design.  I  felt  a  degree  of  mortification  in  not 
finding  others  as  zealous  in  this  matter  as  I  thought  it  deserved  j 
nevertheless,  I  determined  to  promote  it  to  the  utmost  extent  of 
my  opportunities.  I  also  communicated  to  the  board  the  same 
plan  for  colonizing  the  Indians,  and  earnestly  entreated  their 
consideration  and  efficient  action  in  its  favour.  Their  first  an 
swer  was,  that  u  A  committee  had  been  appointed  to  consider 
it."  The  part  which  the  board  subsequently  took  in  this  matter 
will  be  noticed  in  appropriate  places. 

Our  first  report  to  Governour  Cass,  at  Detroit,  and  to  Dr. 
Wolcott,  the  United  Slates'  agent  at  Chicago,  was  dated  July 
1st,  1823.  At  that  time  we  had  sixty  acres  of  land  enclosed 
with  good  fence.  The  boys  of  our  school  spent  about  half 
their  time  in  manual  labour  on  the  farm,  and  half  at  their  studies 
in  school.  The  girls  laboured  more  than  half  their  time.  This 
was  not  a  matter  of  choice,  but  of  necessity,  growing  out  of 
the  circumstance  of  the  number  of  males  exceeding  that  of 
females,  by  which  domestic  labours  became  the  more  onerous 
to  those  who  sustained  them*  All  could  use  the  needle  in  sew 
ing,  twelve  of  them  could  knit,  six  could  spin,  two  could  weave, 
and  twelve  of  them  could  embroider  with  the  needle,  and  in 
the  performance  of  domestic  labour,  in  common  they  were  not 
surpassed  by  any  white  girls  of  their  ages.  Twenty-eight  of  our 
pupils  could  neither  speak  nor  understand  English  when  re" 
ceived  into  our  school,  and  most  of  the  others  had  scarcely  any 
knowledge  of  the  English  language. 

At  the  opening  of  day,  during  the  shorter  nights  of  summer,, 
and  earlier  during  the  longer  nights,  the  sounding  of  a  trumpet 
26 


202 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


was  the  signal  for  all  to  rise.  At  sunrising  in  the  longer  days, 
and  earlier  during  the  shorter,  the  ringing  of  a  bell  summoned 
the  family  to  morning  prayers,  after  which  the  children  were 
directed  to  their  morning  labours.  At  half  past  six  the  trumpet 
called  to  breakfast,  and  the  ringing  of  a  small  bell  directed  the 
family  to  become  seated  at  table.  We  all  sat  down  together  at 
the  same  table,  and  the  native  children  received  the  same  atten 
tion,  there  and  elsewhere,  that  white  children  would  have  re 
ceived,  had  we  kept  a  boarding  school  for  them.  As  our  dining 
room  would  not  contain  all  at  the  same  time,  the  larger  scholars 
ate  first,  and  one  of  the  teachers  attended  to  the  table  until  all  had 
left.  At  eight  o'clock  in  summer,  and  half  an  hour  later  in  win 
ter,  the  scholars  were  called  together,  and  they  were  dismissed  at 
twelve.  Half  past  twelve  dinner  was  called.  At  two  the 
scholars  were  again  called  in,  and  were  dismissed  at  five  in  the 
longer  days,  and  at  half  past  six  supper  was  called.  Between 
sunsetting  and  dark  in  summer,  and  never  later  than  eight 
o'clock  in  winter,  the  whole  family  were  again  called  together 
to  evening  prayers.  Besides  singing,  reading,  and  prayer,  a 
portion  of  Scripture  was  usually  expounded.  All  were  required 
to  retire  to  rest  at  an  early  hour,  and  if  circumstances  made  it 
necessary  for  any  to  remain  up  later  than  the  hour  for  retiring, 
they  were  required  to  be  silent  after  nine  o'clock.  It  was  made 
a  point  to  attend  promptly  to  time.  The  moment  that  the  hour 
arrived  for  rising,  the  trumpet  sounded,  and  at  the  moment  when 
the  trumpet  or  the  bells  directed  to  any  other  thing  in  the  routine 
of  business,  it  was  not  deferred  on  any  account. 

On  Saturdays  the  schools  were  suspended vand  the  boys  were 
allowed  part  of  the  day  for  recreation.  Twice  in  the  week 
they  were  permitted  to  bathe  in  the  river  in  summer,  and  to 
amuse  themselves  on  the  ice  in  winter,  accompanied  by  the 
teacher,  or  some  one  else,  to  prevent  accidents.  On  Sabbaths, 
only  two  meals  were  eaten.  At  half  past  ten  the  trumpet  an 
nounced  the  approach  of  the  hour  for  public  worship,  which 
commenced  at  the  ringing  of  a  bell  half  an  hour  later,  and  at 
half  past  four  in  the  afternoon  we  again  assembled  for  public 
worship.  At  this  time,  Mr.  Lykins,  Mrs.  McCoy,  and  myself, 
were  the  only  missionaries  at  the  station.  Generally  our  busi 
ness  was  divided  between  us,  but  we  were  not  particular  to  limit 
ourselves  to  these  rules,  but  one  would  take  hold  of  the  work, 
which  belonged  to  the  department  of  another,  whenever  it  was 
necessary. 

The  Indians  are  generally  so  improvident,  and  often  so  much 
in  want  of  food,  that  while  one  of  themselves,  or  another  near 


INDIAN    MISSIONS* 


203 


them,  has  any  thing,  the  poorer  depend  much  upon  it,  and  con 
sequently,  by  their  begging,  become  exceedingly  troublesome  to 
whites  among  them.  They  gave  us  great  trouble  whenever 
they  knew  we  had  on  hand  a  few  barrels  of  flour.  Without 
reflecting  that  it  was  necessary  to  our  comfort  to  be  at  all  times 
supplied  with  a  stock  of  provisions,  they  seemed  to  hope  for 
the  same  liberal  distribution  to  all  who  chose  to  eat  with  us,  or 
to  ask  for  a  portion  of  our  supplies  to  be  given  them,  that 
prevailed  among  themselves.  A  steady  course  towards  them, 
never  marked  with  unkindness,  tended  gradually  to  correct  this 
servile  habit  of  begging  for  food. 

Visits  were  made  to  us  almost  daily,  by  chiefs  and  others. 
On  these  occasions  we  had  to  furnish  tobacco  to  smoke,  and  for 
this  purpose  we  kept  a  supply  constantly  on  hand.  On  the 
19th  of  August,  a  widow,  carrying  an  infant  in  her  arms,  visited 
us  for  the  purpose  of  leaving  with  us  a  little  girl  of  eleven  years 
of  age,  who  had  come  with  her  forty  miles  on  foot.  This  child 
we  named  Rebecca  Blaine,  out  of  respect  for  a  lady  of  that 
name  in  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  who  zealously  promoted  in 
that  place  a  female  society,  which  liberally  contributed  to  the 
support  of  the  mission. 

At  this  time  the  Rev.  Luther  Rice  was  agent  for  the  board 
of  missions,  and  having  had  the  principal  agency  in  bringing 
into  existence  the  missionary  convention,  he  was  one  of  the 
most  efficient  and  influential  members  in  managing  the  concerns 
of  the  board.  On  the  27th  of  August  we  received  from  him 
a  communication,  which  showed  that  our  suspicions  that  the 
funds  of  the  board  would  fail,  and  leave  us  without  ample  sup 
port,  had  been  well  founded.  His  words  were  the  following; 
"  The  funds  of  the  board  are  now  exhausted,  and  it  has  become 
necessary  to  request  you  to  omit  drawing  any  more  drafts  on 
Dr.  Staughton,  but  that,  when  some  particularly  urgent  demand 
for  funds  occurs,  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  state  specifically 
the  case,  and  the  amount  requisite,  and  the  board,  if  practicable, 
will  in  such  cases  appropriate  the  funds  that  are  needed,"  &tc. 
This  intelligence  was  to  us  unpleasant,  but  less  alarming  on  ac 
count  of  our  having  in  some  measure  anticipated  it.  We  had 
never  considered  that  "  our  bread  and  our  water  had  been  made 
sure"  by  our  connection  with  the  board,  and  we  had  from  the 
first  felt  it  to  be  our  duty  to  use  much  exertion  for  support,  and, 
above  all,  we  had  been  taught  to  look  to  Him  who  feeds  the 
fowls  of  heaven  and  clothes  the  grass  of  the  field.  By  the 
same  express  that  brought  Mr.  Rice's  unwelcome  letter  we  re 
ceived,  for  our  encouragement,  through  the  United  States'  agent 


204 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


at  Fort  Wayne,  the  first  allowance  that  reached  us,  of  the 
annual  appropriation  of  Congress  lor  Indian  improvement,  con 
sisting  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  dollars. 

During  the  whole  time  of  our  labours  in  that  country,  there 
were  some  causes  of  expense  which  we  could  not  control,  and 
respecting  which  we  deemed  it  expedient  to  remain  silent.  It 
often  happened  that  kind  and  zealous  agents,  and  other  individu 
als,  and  missionary  societies,  were  not  discreet  in  their  methods 
of  sending  their  donations  to  us,  by  which  means  losses  oc 
curred,  and  cost  accrued  nearly  equal  to  the  value  of  the  arti 
cles  ;  so  that  the  amount  of  actual  cash  which  we  had  to  pay 
in  costs  would  nearly  have  enabled  us  to  purchase  articles  of 
equal  value.  Second  hand  clothing,  too,  and  articles  not  imme 
diately  needed,  came  to  hand  frequently,  which  we  could  not 
apply  to  actual  benefit  equal  to  their  nominal  value.  The  sum 
total  of  our  expenditures,  therefore,  as  exhibited  in  our  accounts, 
was  much  greater  than  it  would  have  been,  had  we,  by  possess 
ing  funds,  been  enabled  to  purchase  necessary  supplies  only, 
and  those  upon  the  best  terms.  This  circumstance  was  an  ad 
vantage  to  us  in  regard  to  obtaining  help  from  the  Government, 
which  apportioned  some  items  of  assistance  to  the  amount  ex 
pended  on  the  institution  by  the  benevolent.  But  in  a  few  in 
stances,  with  the  benevolent,  it  operated  differently,  and  not  to 
our  advantage.  We  believed,  however,  that  such  an  explanation, 
at  that  time,  of  the  augmentation  of  expense,  as  we  may  without 
fear  give  in  this  place  as  matter  of  history,  would  have  had  a 
dampening  influence  upon  many  who  kindly  contributed  to  the 
support  of  the  mission.  Could  we  have  employed  an  agent  to 
collect  and  bring  to  us  supplies,  who  would  have  laboured  upon 
the  same  principle  and  with  the  same  feeling  that  missionaries 
at  the  station  did,  the  difficulties  of  which  we  speak  would 
have  been  chiefly  avoided,  and  ample  means  of  support  would 
have  been  obtained,  without  further  trouble  to  the  board  than 
merely  auditing  and  publishing  accounts  of  our  receipts  and 
expenditures.  But  such  an  one  we  never  were  able  to  enlist  in 
the  service. 

Another  vexatious  cause  of  considerable  expense  in  actual 
cash  was  occasioned  by  the  failure  of  missionaries,  and  the 
necessity  of  hiring  assistant  school  teachers.  Many  of  these, 
both  missionaries  and  hired  persons  from  whom  we  hoped  to 
obtain  some  assistance,  occasioned  not  a  little  cost ;  for  while  we 
were  hard  pressed  for  funds  to  procure  food  and  raiment,  and 
were  compelled  to  labour  with  our  own  hands,  they  rendered 
not  a  particle  of  benefit  to  the  mission.  For  want  of  mission- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


205 


aries,  we  were  compelled  to  hire  assistance  in  the  school,  &,c., 
and  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  persons  who  laboured  merely 
for  the  sake  of  their  wages  should  feel  the  interest  in  the  suc 
cess  of  our  affairs  that  was  desirable.  Matters  intrusted  to  them 
were  not  at  all  times  managed  with  that  economy  which  the 
nature  of  our  business,  and  especially  our  poverty,  required. 
Moreover,  the  expense  of  bringing  a  teacher  from  the  settle 
ments  and  sending  him  back,  together  with  his  wages,  consumed 
much  which  could  have  been  applied  advantageously,  had  we 
been  properly  strengthened  by  missionaries.  It  often  happened 
that  persons  with  whom  during  their  connection  with  us,  we  had 
hoped  to  divide  our  cares  and  toils,  were  a  continual  burden, 
from  which  we  were  happy  to  be  relieved  by  their  departure. 

For  some  time  we  had  sustained  a  correspondence  with  Mr. 
William  Polke,  of  Indiana,  on  the  subject  of  his  becoming  a 
missionary.  Having  expressed  his  readiness  to  unite  with  us,  I 
forwarded  to  him  an  appointment,  dated  September  6,  1823,  and 
a  remittance  to  meet  the  expenses  of  his  outfit  and  travelling. 

August  and  the  fore  part  of  September  was  the  season  to  pro 
cure  hay  on  the  prairies  for  our  stock  through  the  succeeding 
winter.  One  of  us  was  obliged  to  attend  to  this,  and  to  labour 
hard  with  the  hired  men.  About  this  time,  the  male  and  fe 
male  whom  we  had  hired  in  Ohio,  to  assist  in  the  schools,  ter 
minated  their  services  with  us,  and  we  were  under  the  necessity 
of  employing  a  stranger  who  happened  to  be  at  our  place. 

Times  being  pretty  hard  in  relation  to  pecuniary  matters,  it 
behooved  us  to  leave  no  stone  unturned  that  might  possibly 
afford  relief.  We  therefore  determined  that,  notwithstanding 
the  onerous  duties  which  devolved  on  us  at  Carey,  we  would 
make  a  vigorous  effort  to  get  matters  into  operation  among  the 
Ottawas.  We  could  receive  no  Government  allowance  for  the 
Ottawas  until  we  actually  commenced  upon  the  ground,  when  an 
appropriation  would  be  made,  and  we  should  also  be  repaid  for  all 
the  property,  such  as  wagons,  oxen,  &ic.,  purchased  for  the  sta 
tion,  with  the  expectation  of  its  being  speedily  applied  by  Mr. 
Sears,  and  which  was  still  on  hand.  Notwithstanding  we 
needed  at  Carey  one  or  two  others  like  Mr.  Lykins,  yet  neces 
sity  seemed  to  demand  his  attention  to  the  Ottawas ;  which  he 
gave,  in  the  hope  that  Government  would  confer  on  him  the  ap 
pointment  of  teacher,  and  thus  secure  to  him  a  salary  of  four 
hundred  dollars,  which  sum  would  be  applied  to  the  support  of 
the  mission.  In  this  design,  as  will  appear  in  the  sequel,  we 
were  successful,  and  hence  was  opened  a  permanent  source  of 
considerable  pecuniary  relief. 


206 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Tour  among  the  Ottawas.  Medicine  dance.  Death  of  In 
dian  pupils.  Loss  of  property  on  Lake  Michigan.  The 
Government  agent  examines  the  affairs  of  the  mission.  Arri 
val  of  missionaries.  Want  of  the  means  of  support.  Journey 
to  Washington  City.  Scheme  for  colonizing  the  Indians. 
Tour  to  take  collections.  Success.  Phenomenon  on  Lake 
Erie.  Mr.  Simerwell  joins  the  Mission.  Condition  of 
affairs  in  the  vicinity  of  the  establishment.  Encouraging 
appearances. 

On  the  19th  of  September  Mr.  Lykins  went  to  the  lake,  to 
hire  a  suitable  interpreter  to  accompany  me  to  the  Ottawas,  but 
was  unsuccessful.  On  the  30th  I  set  out,  with  an  Indian  and  a 
white  man  to  go  as  far  among  the  Ottawas  as  Kekenmazoo  river, 
where  prejudices  existed  which  might  prevent  the  immediate 
commencement  of  operations  among  them  on  Grand  river.  In 
order,  therefore,  to  secure  a  footing  among  them  without  delay, 
we  proposed  to  commence  with  only  the  smithery,  on  the  line 
between  them  and  the  Putawatomies.  The  advantages  which 
they  would  derive  from  the  smithery,  and  the  opportunity  which, 
by  this  course,  would  be  afforded  of  extending  our  acquaintance 
among  them,  we  believed,  would  result  in  subduing  all  their 
jealousies  in  relation  to  us. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day  we  reached  the  Otta 
wa  settlements  on  Kekenmazoo,  and  were  informed  that  they 
were  about  to  spend  the  day  in  the  observance  of  a  religious 
ceremony,  which  would  be  accompanied  by  dancing  and  feasting. 
We  went  immediately  to  the  house  of  the  chief,  White  Spar 
row,  who,  with  one  male  companion,  and  three  women,  one  of 
whom  was  his  wife  and  another  his  daughter,  had  already  en 
gaged  in  the  exercises  of  the  day,  in  the  house  fitted  for  the 
occasion.  Without  doors  a  man  and  his  wife  were  preparing  a 
considerable  quantity  of  bear's  meat,  venison,  turkey,  and  por 
cupine,  for  the  feast.  The  chief's  wife  had  the  kindness  to 
suspend  her  exercises  long  enough  to  set  before  us  a  little  food, 
which  we  needed.  The  chief  asked  for  tobacco  to  smoke  with 
his  people,  and  seemed  much  pleased  that  I  added  a  little  salt. 

The  apartment  in  which  the  services  were  performed  had 
been  specially  constructed  for  such  occasions.  Stakes  were 
driven  into  the  ground  at  proper  distances,  on  which  poles  were 
tied  horizontally,  with  bark ;  on  the  outside  of  these  grass  mats 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  207 

were  fastened,  which  raised  a  temporary  wall,  about  as  high  as 
a  man's  breast.  The  hall  was  about  twenty  feet  wide  and  sixty 
feet  long.  On  three  sides  were  spread  mats  and  skins  for  the 
company  to  sit  upon.  Through  the  centre  three  posts  were 
erected,  ranging  with  each  other  the  longer  way  of  the  apart 
ment,  and  extending  so  much  higher  than  the  sides  that  a  tem 
porary  roof,  in  case  of  rain,  might  be  made  to  rest  upon  poles 
that  lay  along  upon  their  tops. 

On  our  arrival  the  chief  was  delivering  to  the  few  who  were 
with  him  short  speeches,  to  which  the  others  occasionally  re 
sponded  with  O-oh,  in  a  more  plaintive  tone  than  is  commonly 
heard  among  Indians.  Between  speeches,  the  chief  drummed, 
and  all  sung.  Two  of  them  held  in  their  hand  a  gourd,  to 
which  had  been  fastened  a  wooden  handle.  Gravel  or  corn 
within  the  hollow  of  the  gourd  made  a  rattle  resembling  a  child's 
toy.  The  drum  consisted  of  a  skin  stretched  over  the  end  of 
a  small  keg,  after  the  heading  had  been  displaced,  and  was  beaten 
with  one  stick  only  ;  the  strokes,  without  changing  their  force, 
occurred  regularly,  at  the  rate  of  about  one  hundred  and  thirty 
in  a  minute.  The  gourds  were  shaken  so  as  to  make  their 
rattling  in  unison  with  the  strokes  of  the  drum. 

About  eleven  o'clock,  thirty  or  forty  persons,  including  menr 
women,  and  children,  assembled  about  thirty  yards  from  the 
dancing  house,  at  which  place  they  left  most  of  their  children 
and  some  of  the  women.  The  others  formed  in  single  file,  and 
marched  until  the  leader  reached  the  door  of  the  dancing  hall, 
and  halted,  the  whole  maintaining  their  order.  The  leader 
stamped  a  few  times  with  his  foot,  crying,  Ho!  ho!  ho!  Those 
within  responded  with  their  Ho;  several  who  were  on  the  front 
end  of  the  line  sung  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  all  marched  into 
the  hall,  and  around  the  room  three  times,  halting  and  singing 
twice  each  time.  Invariably  through  the  whole  day,  when  they 
marched  around  the  room,  the  circle  was  described  by  turning  to 
the  left,  so  that  if  a  person  seated  near  the  door  to  the  right 
desired  to  walk  out,  he  never  retraced  his  steps,  but  walked 
around  the  room,  with  his  left  hand  towards  the  centre,  until  he 
reached  the  door.  All  took  their  seats  with  their  backs  against 
the  wall. 

A  principal  man  then  arose,  and  addressed  the  company  in  a 
speech  of  considerable  length  ;  after  which  one  drummed,  two 
rattled  their  gourds,  several  sung,  and  two  women  and  one  man 
danced.  The  musicians  and  dancers  then  passed  round  the 
hall,  severally  pointing  a  finger  to  each  one  seated  as  they 
passed,  and  using  words  which  I  did  not  understand.  The 


208  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

person  pointed  at  responded  each  time  with   a  mournful  groan, 
A-a-a ;  these  took  their  seats ;  another  man  arose  and  made  a 
speech ;    two  men  held  a  short  private  consultation   in  a  low 
voice,  and  then  mixed  some  powders,  which  they  called  medi 
cine.     A    little  tobacco,  or   rather    the   common    mixture    of 
tobacco  and   the    leaves  of   other  plants,  which   they   use    in 
smoking,  made  fine  as  if  prepared  for  the  pipe,  was  sprinkled 
at  the  foot  of  the  two  posts  of  the  door,  and  of  those  planted 
along  the  centre  of  the   building,  and    a  small  quantity    put 
into   the   fire.     Another  man    arose   and   delivered   a   lengthy 
speech,  which  was  followed  by  drumming,  singing,  and  dancing. 
A  little  respite  ensued,  which  the  men  employed  in  smoking  ; 
another  speech  was  made,  and  followed  by  the  dancing  of  ten 
persons  to  music ;  another  turn  of  smoking  ensued,  and  the  two 
men  who  had  charge   of  the  medicine  allowed  each  person  to 
take  a  little  between  the  fingers,  and  put  it  into  an  otter's  skin, 
with  which  each  was  furnished.     These  skins  had  been  taken 
off  the  animals  entire,  including  the  bones  of  the  head.     The 
sack  thus  formed  by  a  whole  skin  has  an  opening  into  it  on  the 
throat,  which  is   generally  the  fashion  of  an    Indian's    tobacco 
pouch.     These  medicine  bags  are  esteemed  sacred,  and  are 
used  for  no  other  purposes  than  those  belonging  to  this  festival 
occasion,  and    to   hold   the  sacred  medicine.     Artificial   eyes, 
usually  of  metal  that  will  glisten,  are  inserted;  the  teeth  are 
disclosed  by  the  drying  of  the  skin,  and  the  sides  of  the  mouth 
are  ornamented  by  soft  feathers,  dyed  red,  extending  along  the 
jaws  three  or  four  inches.     The  tails  are  ornamented  with  por 
cupine  quills,  dyed  various  colours,  to  the  end  of  which,  and 
also  to  the  feet,  small  brass  thimbles  and  bells  are  suspended, 
which   make  a  tinkling  sound  whenever  the  skin  is   moved. 
Each  keeps  his  or  her  skin  hanging  on  the  arm  at  all  times 
while  in  the  house  during  the  festival,  excepting  when  seated, 
at  which  time  they  are  hung  on  the  wall,  by  the  owner's  seat. 
Another  speech  being  delivered,  four  men  and  two  womea 
marched  out  at  the  door  of  the  hall,  with  Ho-hos  and  gesticula 
tions  which  cannot  be  described.     They  formed  a  semicircle  in 
front  of  the  door,  and  one  of  the  men  delivered  a  speech,  which 
was  followed  by  singing.     Their  otter  skins  were  held  horizon 
tally  in  the  two  hands,  with  a  tremulous  motion  that  rattled  the 
trinkets  suspended  to  them,  and  which  made  the  skin  assume 
the  appearance  of  the  living  animal   when  about  to  leap  for 
ward.     While  thus  shaking  their  skins  they  ran  around,  now 
stooping  towards  the  earth,  and  then  stretching   upwards  and 
hallooing  ;   they  then  marched   into  the  hall   again,  severally 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  209 

pointing  a  hand  to  each  one  seated  as  they  passed,  and  each 
person  pointed  at  uttered  an  awful  groan,  as  before.  They 
marched  around  the  hall,  until  they  reached  the  door  again, 
when  each  of  the  four  men  pretended  to  swallow  a  small  bullet, 
which  apparently  almost  choked  him,  aud  gave  him  great  unea 
siness  at  the  moment ;  but,  as  he  did  not  fall  to  the  ground,  it 
was  understood  that  he  was  wise  and  good,  and  expert  in  the 
performance. 

All  these  fooleries  were  but  preliminaries  to  the  regular 
course  of  exercises  on  which  they  were  now  prepared  to  enter. 
Two  principal  men  took  the  lead;  each  held  in  one  hand  a 
rattle,  and  in  the  other  a  piece  of  folded  cloth,  to  defend  the 
hand  against  injury  when  the  gourd  should  be  struck  against  it. 
The  leader  delivered  a  speed),  and  all  became  seated  again, 
when  the  drummer  and  the  gourd  men  on  each  side  of  him 
beat  in  unison,  while  the  leader  sung  alone.  Three  or  four 
persons  presented  themselves  before  the  drum,  and  danced; 
when  these  dancers  had  retired  to  their  seats,  the  musicians 
rose,  and  the  leader  delivered  a  brief  speech.  They  then 
marched  twice  around  the  hall,  with  their  instrumental  music, 
stopping  to  sing  a  few  minutes  at  the  completion  of  each  semi* 
circle.  The  drummer  then,  facing  the  door,  became  seated 
by  the  middle  post,  with  one  of  the  rattlers  behind,  and  the 
other  in  front;  the  principal  one  delivered  a  speech,  at  the  con 
clusion  of  which  they  both  commenced  singing,  and  then  rat 
tled,  and  were  joined  by  the  drummer.  Now  all  appeared  to 
become  inspired  with  new  life.  Some  rose  and  danced  in  their 
places,  then  others,  until  all  were  on  their  feet,  and  dancing  to 
the  sound  of  the  drum  and  gourds.  Suddenly,  as  if  moved  by 
supernatural  impulse,  one  man  stepped  forward  from  his  place 
into  the  space  left  for  them  to  pass  in  single  file  around  the 
room,  which,  as  before  observed,  is  always  with  the  left  hand 
towards  the  centre;  he  bends  forward,  whirls  around,  (always 
to  the  left,)  appears  frantic,  though  not  mad,  shakes  his  otter 
skin,  crying  Ho-o-o-o,  in  a  quick,  frightful  tone.  He  falls  into 
the  rear  of  the  music,  now  passing  around  the  room,  and  some 
where  in  his  circuit  he  becomes  more  frantic,  gives  a  few  louder 
Whoh-whos,  and  suddenly  punches  the  nose  of  his  otter  skin 
against  some  one  of  the  company,  who  are  all  standing  with 
their  backs  to  the  wall.  The  person  punched  either  drops  to 
the  earth,  as  if  dead,  like  a  butcher's  beef,  or  bows  and  stag 
gers  back  against  the  wall,  uttering  a  horrid  shriek  of  O~ho-ho, 
as  if  pierced  to  the  vitals.  He  now  kisses  the  nose  of  his  otter 
skin,  with  gestures  expressive  of  profound  respect  and  warm 
27 


210 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


affection.  These  fond  kisses  counteract  the  electric  shock 
just  received  from  the  nose  of  his  neighbour's  otter  skin,  and  in 
half  a  minute  he  is  restored,  and  falls  into  the  rear  of  the  com 
pany  as  they  march  around  with  the  music.  -ffviv 

When  a  person  fell,  apparently  lifeless,  I  noticed  that  he 
never  hurt  himself  in  falling.  Each  one  invariably  fell  in  the 
same  position.  In  about  half  a  minute  he  would  recover  and 
rise,  and,  as  in  the  other  case,  fall  into  the  company  of  the 
music.  Each  one,  on  recovering  from  the  electric  shock,  before 
he  went  around  the  room  once,  would  become  frantic,  and 
Whoh-whoh  oftener  and  louder  than  usual,  and  punch  his  otter 
skin  at  the  nose  of  another  person  ;  after  which  he  danced  until 
he  came  around  to  his  proper  place,  where  he  again  took  his 
station,  with  his  back  to  the  wall.  In  this  manner  they  conti 
nued  to  go  around  the  room,  usually  seven  or  eight  persons  at 
a  time,  with  their  music,  whooping  and  dancing,  and  shaking 
their  otter  skins,  and  punching  them  towards  each  other's  faces. 
Sometimes  a  short  pause  is  made,  and  again  the  vocal  music 
strikes  a  new  tune,  and  at  the  same  instant  many  set  up  a  hideous 
whoop  of  Ho-ho-ho,  until  the  ear  is  stunned  with  almost  every 
frightful  kind  of  noise  that  can  be  imagined.  Having  pro 
ceeded  in  this  way  a  sufficient  length  of  time,  the  music  ceased, 
and  each  took  his  and  her  proper  place  against  the  wall.  The 
principal  actor,  followed  by  the  other  gourd-man,  with  the 
drummer  in  the  rear,  went  twice  around  the  hall,  halting  and 
singing  twice  in  performing  each  circuit ;  at  length,  halting  at 
the  man  who  was  designed  next  to  use  a  gourd  as  a  leader  in 
the  farce,  they  made  an  uncommon  ado  in  hallooing,  and  in 
singular  noises  and  gesticulations,  and  finally  laid  down  their 
gourds,  cushions,  and  drum,  at  his  feet.  They  then  continued 
around  the  hall  once  more,  each  pointing  a  finger  at  every  one 
as  they  passed,  groaning  each  time,  and  being  answered  by 
the  person  pointed  at  with  a  frightful  groan. 

Another  now  takes  the  lead,  and  the  same  ceremonies  are 
acted  over  again  ;  and  this  round  of  ceremonies  is  repeated 
until  every  male  has  once  led  in  the  exercises.  If,  therefore, 
the  company  be  small,  the  exercises  will  end  the  sooner.  Some 
times  the  company  is  so  large,  that  the  services  continue  until 
late  in  the  night,  and  even  all  night.  The  females  follow  in  all 
the  exercises,  but  never  lead.  They  carry  their  otter  skins  or 
medicine  bags,  sing,  dance,  blow,  fee.,  and  at  this  meeting  one 
went  so  far  as  to  deliver  two  short  public  speeches,  but  this 
was  a  rare  occurrence.  The  males  having  each  led  in  a  round 
of  the  regular  ceremonies,  all  became  seated  to  rest,  and  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


211 


men  smoked.  On  coming  together,  each  had  brought  a  kettle 
or  bowl ;  seven  or  eight  large  kettles  of  boiled  meat  were  now 
brought  into  the  house,  and  every  one's  small  kettle  or  bowl 
was  placed  near  the  food.  A  man  then  arose  and  delivered  a 
speech.  Next,  the  man  who  had  superintended  the  cookery 
distributed  to  each  a  portion,  using  a  sharpened  stick  fora  flesh- 
fork;  and  when  a  piece  was  not  too  hot,  he  took  hold  with  his 
hand. 

It  was  now  between  sundown  and  dark ;  they  all  ate,  having 
nothing  before  them  besides  meat.  Another  speech  was  deli 
vered,  and  when  it  was  concluded,  every  one  rose,  with  his 
vessel  in  hand,  in  which  remained  a  considerable  portion  of 
food.  They  marched  once  around  the  room,  and  the  leader 
halted  at  the  door,  where  he  performed  some  antic  feats, 
attended  by  noises  of  divers  kinds,  and  then  marched  out  of 
the  house,  followed  by  all,  in  single  file  ;  and  those  who  did  not 
reside  at  the  place  marched  directly  off  to  their  homes,  not 
stopping  within  sight  to  speak  to  any  one,  or  even  to  look  back. 
A  portion  of  food  was  sent  to  me. 

The  Indian  who  was  with  me  had  accepted  an  invitation  to 
participate  in  all  the  ceremonies.  When  we  were  alone,  at 
camp,  on  the  following  night,  I  asked  him  if  the  presentment 
of  the  nose  of  the  otter  skin  did  really  give  them  pain,  when 
they  gave  the  horrid  shriek,  and  staggered  back,  or  when  they 
fell  apparently  lifeless  on  the  ground.  He  was  embarrassed, 
being  unwilling  to  tell  me  a  lie  under  the  circumstances  attend 
ing  my  inquiry,  and  on  the  other  hand  reluctant  to  acknowledge 
the  deceptions  they  had  practised.  He  looked  abashed,  and 
said,  falteringly,  "It  hurt  a  little. " 

At  a  separate  fire  food  was  prepared  for  a  number  of  women 
and  children  who  did  not  join  in  the  ceremonies.  They  were 
not  displeased  at  my  looking  on,  but  did  not  invite  me  into  the 
hall.  None  were  allowed  to  enter  that  place,  except  such  as 
were  prepared  to  engage  in  the  exercises.  Some  of  their  ora 
tors  spoke  deliberately  ;  others  spoke  as  fast  as  the  tongue 
could  clatter.  It  is  supposed  that  a  capacity  to  deliver  very 
long  sentences  without  taking  breath  is  a  fine  accomplish* 
ment.  I  was  often  reminded  of  our  Lord's  words  respecting 
"  vain  repetitions  in  prayer,"  a  favourite  word  being  repeated 
once  or  twice  in  almost  every  breath  throughout  the  speech. 

This  ceremony  is  called  Me'ta'wuk' ;  that  is,  Medicine  dance* 
It  is  considered  a  religious  ceremony,  and  moral  lectures  are 
given  to  the  audience,  and  addresses  made  to  spirits,  as  though 
they  were  visibly  present ;  as,  for  instance,  whea  the  leader  of 


212 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


the  company  reached  the  door  of  the  house  in  the  morning, 
with  the  company  in  single  file  in  his  rear,  he  halted,  and  stamp 
ing  three  times  with  his  foot,  said,  "  Ho-ho-ho — I  see  you 
now,  I  see  you  now,  I  see  you  now  !"  three  times,  affecting  to 
see  a  spirit  that  was  present  to  preside  over  the  meeting.  One 
man  within  responded  in  behalf  of  the  spirit,  and  invited  the 
company  in.  More  privacy  usually  attends  these  festivals  than 
was  observed  at  this,  and  often  many  rude  feats  of  legerdemain 
are  performed. 

October  the  3d,  1823.  Early,  about  a  dozen  Ottawas  called 
on'  me,  to  whom  I  communicated  our  desires  to  assist  them  in 
improvements,  &c.,  with  which  they  appeared  well  pleased. 
As  eatables  were  a  desideratum  in  those  times  of  scarcity,  we 
were  gratified  to  be  able  to  set  out  for  Carey  with  as  much  meat 
as  we  needed  for  our  journey.  We  reached  home  on  the  4th. 
Our  circumstances  were  at  this  time  such  as  to  occasion  much 
anxiety.  Two  months  had  elapsed  since  we  had  been  informed 
that  the  funds  of  the  board  were  exhausted.  Our  buildings 
had  to  be  improved  before  winter,  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of 
sufferings  similar  to  those  experienced  the  preceding  cold  sea 
son,  and  preparation  was  necessary  for  wintering  our  live  stock. 
Our  immediate  intercourse  with  the  Indians  required  much  of 
our  time  ;  we  were  compelled  to  labour  with  our  own  hands, 
and  all  our  business  had  to  be  done,  without  knowing  that  we 
should  receive  any  pecuniary  assistance  from  the  board  of  mis 
sions.  At  this  time  the  circumstances  of  Mrs.  McCoy  made 
it  necessary  for  rne  to  conceal  from  her,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
darker  side  of  our  affairs,  and  Mr.  Lykins  and  I  shared  the 
burden  of  our  troubles  as  well  as  we  could. 

We  instituted  a  Bible  class  among  our  scholars  on  the  1.2th 
of  October,  and  distributed  among  them  twenty-one  Bibles. 
With  the  exercises  which  followed  they  were  much  pleased. 
About  this  time  the  whooping-cough,  which  prevailed  in  the 
neighbourhood,  entered  our  family,  and  caused  the  first  death 
among  our  Indian  pupils.  We  invited  our  Indian  neighbours  to 
the  funeral,  that  they  might  have  ocular  evidence  in  this  case  of 
our  kindness  to  the  children  committed  to  our  care.  On  the 
following  day  a  cousin  of  the  deceased  refused  to  eat,  saying, 
with  tears,  that  his  "  deceased  cousin  was  somewhere  hungry, 
and  on  that  account  he  would  fast."  Hence  we  perceive  how 
early  in  life  superstition  is  imbibed.  A  few  weeks  afterwards 
another  of  our  Indian  pupils  died  of  the  same  disease. 

Upon  the  failure  of  the  vessel  the  preceding  spring  to  bring 
us  supplies  by  way  of  the  lake,  as  we  had  contracted,  we  took 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


213 


measures  to  have  supplies  brought  to  us  by  another  vessel. 
This  latter,  carrying  four  or  five  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  pro 
perty  for  us,  anchored  at  the  mouth  of  St.  Joseph's  river  on  the 
17th  of  October,  and  the  captain  came  on  shore.  About  this 
time  the  wind  became  so  severe  that  their  cable  parted,  and  the 
schooner  was  driven  out  to  sea.  About  midnight  the  captain, 
who  was  at  an  Indian  house,  a  rnile  from  the  lake,  was  informed 
that  the  vessel  had  again  come  in  sight.  He  hastened  off,  di 
recting  the  men  who  were  in  waiting  to  receive  our  property  to 
be  on  the  shore  early  in  the  morning.  Unfortunately,  they 
were  able  to  land  only  seven  barrels  of  flour,  one  barrel  of  salt, 
and  two  or  three  other  small  articles;  the  remainder  of  our  pro 
perty  was  carried  back  to  Detroit,  greatly  to  our  loss,  and  to 
our  serious  inconvenience  in  other  respects.  This  failure  occa 
sioned  Mr.  Lykins  to  make  a  journey  to  Ohio  a  few  weeks 
afterwards,  in  order  to  procure  articles  which  we  had  expected 
by  way  of  the  lakes. 

In  the  latter  part  of  October,  Charles  Noble,  Esq.,  was  com 
missioned  by  Governour  Cass  to  visit  our  institution,  and  exa 
mine  and  report  its  condition,  agreeably  to  arrangements  which 
grew  out  of  the  treaty  of  Chicago.  He  remained  with  us  three 
days.  His  inquiries  related  to  the  amount  and  condition  of  the 
improvements,  number  of  persons  employed  at  the  establish 
ment,  their  business  severally,  the  number  of  native  scholars, 
their  progress,  apparent  satisfaction  or  dissatisfaction,  general 
mode  of  instruction,  &LC.  In  a  communication  to  us  the  1st  of 
December,  Governour  Cass  said,  "  Your  report  and  that  of  Mr. 
Noble  are  entirely  satisfactory.  The  affairs  of  your  agency 
appear  to  be  in  the  best  condition,  and,  if  the  experiment  is 
ever  to  be  successful,  I  am  satisfied  you  will  make  it  so." 

The  Rev.  Corbly  Martin  was  at  this  time  travelling  in  Ken 
tucky  as  our  agent.  Among  other  services  which  he  rendered 
us,  was  an  active  part  which  he  took  in  encouraging  Miss  Fanny 
Goodridge,  of  Lexington,  to  become  a  missionary.  After  the 
necessary  preliminaries  of  correspondence,  Miss  Goodridge 
reached  Carey  November  5th,  1823,  accompanied  by  the  Rev. 
James  McCoy,  who  had  the  goodness  to  accompany  her  to  the 
mission.  She  came  well  recommended  by  the  deacons  of  the 
church  of  Dr.  Fishback,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky ;  we  had 
reason  early  to  esteem  her  as  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  mis 
sion,  nor  have  our  expectations  been  disappointed.  On  the 
18th  of  November  Mrs.  Polke  and  family  arrived,  and  Mr. 
Polke  followed  a  few  weeks  afterwards.  These  added  mate 
rially  to  the  number  of  our  missionaries.  On  the  23d  of  Novein- 


2  I  4  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

ber  Miss  Goodridge  commenced  a  Sabbath  school  specially  for 
the  females. 

The  members  of  our  little  church  had  been  so  scattered,  that 
we  were  often  ready  to  conclude  that  we  had  become  a  consti 
tuted  body  prematurely ;  but  the  addition  of  our  new  mission 
aries  had  inspired  fresh  hopes,  which  were  enlivened  on  the 
28th,  by  surrounding  the  Lord's  table  for  the  first  time  after  our 
settlement  at  Carey.  Several  poor  Indians  residing  near  us  in 
flag  or  bark  huts,  and  most  of  whom  usually  waded  through  the 
snow  during  a  great  part  of  the  winter,  to  attend  our  evening 
prayers,  were  present  at  this  communion. 

On  securing  the  proceeds  of  our  farm,  notwithstanding  this 
was  our  first  year,  and  our  fields  had  to  be  prepared  in  an  uncul 
tivated  wilderness,  we  had  about  nine  hundred  bushels  of  Indian 
corn,  besides  garden  vegetables. 

Within  this  month  we  erected  a  blacksmith's  shop  on  Keken- 
mazoo,  among  the  Ottawas,  and  made  other  preparations  for 
putting  our  smithery  into  operation.  As  the  hands  were  on 
their  way  to  the  place,  an  Indian  forbid  them  to  proceed  upon 
that  business,  and  declared  his  determination  to  destroy  their 
house,  &,c.  He  followed  them  twenty  or  thirty  miles,  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  their  work,  and,  with  a  view  of  opposing  our 
operations,  called  a  council  of  the  Indians,  but  the  result  of  this 
council  quieted  his  scruples.  The  Ottawas  of  that  place  be 
came  exceedingly  pleased  with  what  we  had  undertaken  for 
their  benefit. 

We  have  heretofore  intimated  that  our  kind  friends  were  not 
always  fortunate  in  choosing  the  most  eligible  methods  of  con 
veying  donations  to  us:  this  was  distressingly  exemplified  in 
the  case  of  a  fine  drove  of  hogs  collected  for  the  mission  in 
Kentucky  and  Indiana,  of  which  one  third,  including  the  most 
valuable,  were  lost  by  the  drivers  on  the  road.  The  conse 
quence  was,  that,  besides  paying  cash  to  the  drivers  for  their 
services,  we  had  to  purchase  the  principal  part  of  our  supply  of 
pork  for  the  ensuing  year.  Thus,  by  an  unfortunate  manage 
ment  in  transporting  to  the  station  donations  of  live  stock,  and 
of  books  and  clothing  for  the  Indian  children,  the  actual  value 
to  the  mission  was  often  so  much  diminished  as  to  leave  but 
little  real  advantage  to  the  institution. 

Before  we  received  information  that  "  the  funds  of  the  board 
were  exhausted,"  we  had  sold  a  draft  to  H.  G.  Phillips,  Esq., 
of  Ohio,  for  five  hundred  and  fifty-two  dollars.  In  November 
this  draft  came  back  protested.  We  were  greatly  mortified  at 
this  circumstance,  and  no  less  distressed  on  account  of  our 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


215 


scarcity  of  funds.  Mr.  Lykins  was  at  the  time  in  Ohio,  endea 
vouring  to  procure  articles  needed  for  the  approaching  winter, 
most  of  which  we  had  hoped  to  obtain  by  way  of  the  lakes. 
Providence,  however,  had  directed  that  our  business  should 
chiefly  be  with  a  man  of  feeling.  When  the  draft  came  back 
to  Mr.  Phillips  protested,  we  owed  him  nearly  one  thousand 
dollars ;  nevertheless,  he  advanced  to  Mr.  Lykins  whatever  our 
immediate  wants  required,  and  offered  to  increase  the  sum  to 
any  amount  we  deemed  prudent  to  take,  and  all  without  inte 
rest.  Mr.  Joseph  R.  John,  of  Troy,  Ohio,  who  was  engaged 
in  business  with  Mr.  Phillips,  wrote  to  us  on  the  occasion,  say 
ing,  "  I  feel  for  your  present  situation, but  I  hope  it  will 

not  discourage  you ;  and  we  even  hope  that  it  will  all  work  for 
the  benefit  of  the  mission.  We  deem  it  prudent  to  keep  the 
news  of  the  draft's  being  protested  among  ourselves,  because, 
if  it  were  known  to  the  public,  it  might  be  to  the  injury  of  your 
establishment."  Neither  of  these  two  gentlemen  were  then 
professors  of  religion.  The  mission  at  this  time  owed  about 
fourteen  hundred  dollars  more  than  we  had  money  to  pay,  and 
our  most  rigid  economy  and  hard  personal  labour  could  not  pre 
vent  the  augmentation  of  our  debts.  The  question,  What  shall 
we  do  ?  required  an  immediate  answer.  Mr.  Lykins  proposed 
that  I  should  go  at  once  to  Washington,  and  endeavour  to 
get  help  from  Government,  from  the  board  of  missions,  and 
from  a  benevolent  public.  In  favour  of  this  plan  was  also  a 
hope  that  I  might  be  instrumental  in  promoting  the  colonization 
of  the  Indians  in  the  West — a  subject  of  which  we  never  suf 
fered  ourselves  to  lose  sight. 

When  I  first  went  into  the  wilderness  as  a  missionary,  1  set 
about  the  study  of  the  Indian  language,  but  circumstances  had 
denied  me  the  opportunity  of  acquiring  such  a  knowledge  as 
would  enable  me  to  address  the  natives  on  the  subject  off  reli 
gion  without  an  interpreter.  On  the  late  acquisitions  of  mis 
sionaries,  I  had  hoped  that  I  would  be  so  far  relieved  from  the 
general  cares  of  the  institution  as  to  be  able  to  spend  the  winter 
chiefly  in  the  huts  of  the  Putawatomies,  in  the  study  of  their 
language,  and  in  imparting  to  them  religious  instruction.  The 
plan  proposed  for  me  to  leave  home  a  few  months  thwarted 
this  design,  and  1  was  exceedingly  loth  to  adopt  it.  1  felt  dis 
appointed,  and  was  deeply  distressed.  But  there  was  no  alter 
native,  as  we  could  contrive  no  other  way  to  obtain  relief.  On 
the  29th  of  December,  I  set  out  upon  this  journey,  on  horseback, 
expecting  to  be  absent  five  months. 


216 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


Excepting  our  embarrassments  in  pecuniary  matters,  our 
affairs  had  never  been  more  encouraging.  Forty -nine  Indian 
youths  were  members  of  our  family,  and  receiving  instruction 
in  letters  and  labour,  and  attending  to  religious  exercises.  The 
hearts  of  all  the  missionaries  appeared  warm  and  zealous.  The 
females  held  special  religious  meetings  among  themselves,  and 
we  appeared  to  be  entering  upon  a  happy  season  in  our  mis 
sionary  labours,  when  this  distressing  necessity  compelled  me  to 
leave  the  place.  I  had  with  me  a  Frenchman  named  Mettez 
to  aid  me  in  getting  out  of  the  wilderness.  The  snow  was  melt 
ing,  which  increased  the  uncomfortableness  of  travelling  ana1 
lodging.  I  gathered  brush  to  raise  me  from  the  water  and  cold 
earth  the  first  night,  during  a  great  part  of  which  it  rained  on 
us.  The  next  day  we  called  at  a  trading  hut,  to  see  one  of 
our  hired  men,  who,  a  few  days  before,  while  driving  hogs 
through  the  wilderness  to  us,  had  had  his  feet  so  much  frost 
bitten  that  he  was  left  at  this  hut,  where  he  still  remained, 
unable  to  travel. 

December  30th.  It  rained  on  us  all  day,  and  night  came 
upon  us  in  an  open  country,  where  we  were  much  exposed  to 
chilling  wind,  and  in  which  it  was  especially  unpleasant  to  spend 
the  night.  We,  however,  succeeded  in  making  fire  amidst  a 
continual  fall  of  rain.  Mettez  had  the  kindness  to  lend  me  a 
wolf  skin  to  lie  upon.  I  stretched  up  a  blanket  for  shelter, 
but  my  bed  was  both  too  short  and  too  narrow  to  save  me  either 
from  the  cold,  from  the  water  that  fell  from  above,  or  from  that 
which  arose  from  the  earth  beneath.  The  succeeding  day  was 
wet,  and,  to  add  to  the  uncomfortableness  of  our  situation,  our 
stock  of  provisions  was  exhausted.  We  therefore  travelled  hard, 
in  order  to  reach  Fort  Wayne,  but  soon  after  dark  we  lost  our 
path,  and  spent  another  rainy  night  in  the  brush.  The  next 
day  the  waters  were  so  high  that  we  sometimes  had  to  leave 
the  road  to  get  around  them.  We  swam  our  horses  across  St.  Ma 
ry's  river,  and  reached  Fort  Wayne.  From  this  place  I  sent 
Mettez  to  Detroit  on  business,  while  I  proceeded  to  Ohio.  I 
spent  the  Sabbath  and  preached  at  the  house  of  Captain  Shane, 
of  whom  mention  has  been  made,  and  whose  wife  was  a  mem 
ber  of  our  church.  Shane,  who  was  by  birth  an  Ottawa,  had 
rendered  great  service  to  the  United  States  in  time  of  the  late 
war.  In  treating  with  the  Indians  after  the  war,  Government 
had  granted  some  lands  to  him.  But  he  and  his  wife  both  being 
in  bad  health,  were,  at  the  time  of  which  we  speak,  in  want  of 
assistance,  I  consented  to  his  request  to  lay  his  case  before  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


217 


proper  officers  of  Government,  and  endeavour  to  obtain  for  him 
the  appointment  of  interpreter,  or  some  other  situation  that 
would  afford  them  a  living  in  their  declining  years. 

We  were  exposed  to  much  rain  during  the  two  succeeding 
days,  and  had  to  swim  our  horses  once  on  the  first  day  and 
twice  on  the  second.  My  horse  became  so  chilled,  by  being 
almost  constantly  in  water  for  several  days,  that  he  could 
scarcely  proceed.  I  took  the  road  by  the  way  of  Chilicothe, 
for  the  purpose  of  calling  upon  the  Surveyor  General  of  the 
United  States'  lands.  Mr.  Polke,  who  was  a  practical  surveyor, 
had  agreed  to  take  a  district  of  surveying,  and  contribute  his 
earnings  to  the  relief  of  the  mission.  I  made  an  application  to- 
the  surveyor  in  his  behalf  but  was  unsuccessful. 

At  this  time  the  board  of  missions  met  in  Washington  City. 
I  remained  in  the  city  twenty-four  days,  during  which  time  they 
held  several  meetings,  at  which  my  business  was  considered. 
Pecuniary  relief  they  could  not  afford,  because  they  had  not  the 
means.  But  they  granted  our  requests  as  far  as  practicable, 
and  generally  adopted  the  measures  we  suggested.  But  it  was 
evident  that  while  they  indulged  kind  feelings  towards  the  mis 
sionaries,  the  pressure  of  the  affairs  of  the  Columbian  College 
engrossed  most  of  their  thoughts  and  deliberations,  and  that  the 
missionaries  must  provide  their  own  support.  It  was  conclu 
ded  that  I  should  endeavour  to  collect  something  from  a  benevo 
lent  public,  to  meet  the  necessities  of  the  mission,  and  with 
this  view  the  board  gave  me  the  necessary  credentials. 

The  plan  for  colonizing  the  Indians,  which  was  submitted  in- 
writing,  was  a  prominent  subject  of  consideration.  Dr.  Staugh- 
ton  and  Mr.  Rice  were  appointed  to  accompany  me,  to  lay  the 
matter  before  Mr.  Monroe,  President  of  the  United  States,  and 
to  request  his  views  on  the  feasibility  of  the  plan. 

We  called  twice,  but,  unfortunately,  he  was  each  time  absent, 
so  that  we  did  not  obtain  an  audience.  Accompanied  by  the 
Rev.  O.  B.  Brown,  we  called  on  Mr.  Calhoun,  Secretary  of 
War.  Some  members  of  the  board  had  intimated  that  if  the 
Secretary  of  War  should  not  approve  the  plan,  the  board  of 
missions  ought  to  abandon  it.  This  doctrine  I  had  opposed.  I 
thought  that  we  ought  first  to  satisfy  ourselves,  from  better  evi 
dence  than  the  mere  opinions  of  men,  that  the  plan  was  good. 
This  done,  we  should  seek  its  accomplishment ;  and  if  others 
viewed  it  erroneously,  it  should  be  our  business  to  endeavour, 
by  sound  argument  and  zealous  pleading,  to  set  them  right. 
That  while  the  President  and  Secretary  of  War  might  be  emi 
nently  qualified  for  their  respective  stations,  it  was  possible  that 

28 


218 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


they  raight  form  erroneous  opinions  in  regard  to  the  most  eligible 
measures  for  improving  the  condition  of  the  Indians,  whom  they 
had  never  seen  at  their  homes  in  the  wilderness.  And,  further, 
it  was  argued  that  mistaken  opinions  upon  this  subject,  to  the 
disadvantage  of  the  Indians,  had  always  prevailed  both  in  Eu 
rope  and  America,  and  therefore  it  would  not  be  surprising  if 
objections  to  the  experiment  proposed  should  be  made  by  great 
men  as  well  as  by  others.  Still,  I  discovered  plainly  enough 
that  if  the  Secretary  of  War  should  disapprove  of  the  design, 
our  board  would  feel  disinclined  to  foster  it.  When,  therefore, 
the  subject  was  submitted  to  the  notice  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  he 
requested  me  to  state  my  views,  I  was  so  much  afraid  that  his 
answer  would  be  unfavourable,  that  after  mentioning  the  out 
lines  of  the  plan,  I  proceeded  to  offer  many  reasons  for  adopting 
it  before  I  paused  to  allow  room  for  his  reply.  Somewhat  con 
trary  to  my  expectation,  but  greatly  to  my  satisfaction,  his  an 
swer  was  such  as  I  desired. 

He  not  only  approved  the  plan,  but  argued  its  practicability, 
and  said  that  nothing  was  wanting  to  insure  success,  but  a  right 
feeling  in  Congress.  The  latter  was  an  excellent  idea,  and  a  con 
firmation  of  my  pleadings  with  the  board,  that  if  satisfied  our 
selves  of  the  propriety  of  the  measure,  we  ought  to  labour  to 
induce  right  views  and  feelings  on  the  subject  in  others.  1  de 
sired  the  board  immediately  to  present  a  memorial  to  Congress 
on  the  subject,  and  this  proposition  was  at  first  favourably  re 
ceived,  but  finally  they  concluded  that  the  better  way  would  be 
by  bringing  the  matter  before  the  public  through  the  press,  to  pre 
pare  for  a  successful  application  to  Congress  at  another  session. 

We  obtained  from  Government  at  this  time  five  hundred  and 
sixty-six  dollars,  on  account  of  buildings  at  Carey,  which  was 
to  reimburse  a  portion  of  the  cost  that  had  accrued  to  the  mis 
sion  in  their  erection.  It  was  paid  to  us  out  of  the  annual 
appropriation  of  Congress  for  Indian  reform.  The  Secretary 
of  War  also  agreed  to  increase  the  annual  allowance  from  the 
same  fund,  for  the  benefit  of  our  school,  from  two  hundred 
dollars  to  six  hundred  dollars.  This  was  securing  to  the  mission 
considerable  relief. 

The  children  of  missionaries  who  reside  among  a  barbarous 
people  ought  not  to  be  wholly  brought  up  without  better  oppor 
tunities  than  the  society  found  in  those  places  affords ;  while 
they  are  small,  little  anxiety  is  felt  by  their  parents,  but  when 
they  are  approaching  maturity,  and  forming  Jhabits  for  subse 
quent  life,  they  ought  to  spend,  at  least,  a  portion  of  their 
time  in  civilized  and  Christian  society.  Their  parents,  by  pei- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


219 


sonal  services,  can  provide  no  pecuniary  assistance  for  them.  A 
good  education  and  favourable  impressions  derived  from  ming 
ling  with  good  society,  is  the  only  legacy  that  missionaries  can 
hope  to  leave  their  children,  and  to  this  their  children  are  enti 
tled.  When  it  is  discovered  that  the  services  of  parents  are  not 
of  sufficient  value  to  justify  the  patrons  of  missions  in  incurring 
the  expense  of  educating  the  children,  the  missionaries  should 
be  dismissed.  This  subject  was  taken  into  consideration  by 
the  board  at  the  time  of  which  we  speak,  which,  with  an  hon 
orable  generosity,  directed  me  to  send  my  two  elder  sons  to 
the  Columbian  College,  at  Washington,  to  complete  their  edu 
cation. 

At  this  time  the  Rev.  Luther  Rice,  who  had  been  instru 
mental  in  bringing  into  existence  the  Baptist  General  Conven 
tion,  was  the  most  efficient  man  in  connection  with  its  board  of 
managers.  To  a  liberal  education  and  extensive  personal  ob 
servation  of  men  and  things  in  different  countries,  he  united 
uncommon  powers  of  intellect.  His  reliance,  however,  upon 
his  own  resources  of  judgment  was  too  great.  He  undertook 
to  perform  more  than  any  one  man  could  do,  and  sunk  under 
the  weight  of  cares  which  a  generous  heart  had  induced  him  to 
assume.  By  attempting  (in  a  degree  alone)  to  establish  the 
Columbian  College  for  the  benefit  of  our  own,  and  of  other 
countries,  debts  accumulated  faster  than  he  was  able  to  collect 
means  to  pay  them.  He  became  embarrassed,  and  in  the  midst 
of  his  indefatigable  career  his  usefulness  became  suddenly 
abridged.  By  a  similar  reversion,  a  man  of  ordinary  fortitude 
would  have  been  driven  to  despair,  but  Mr.  Rice,  after  his  use 
fulness  had  been  reduced  more  than  fifty  per  cent.,  struggled 
on,  doing  good  to  the  extent  of  his  opportunities. 

At  the  time  of  my  second  visit  to  Washington,  Mr.  Rice's 
affairs  were  approximating  a  crisis.  Nevertheless,  with  all  his 
toils  and  cares,  he  found  leisure  to  show  himself  the  substantial 
friend  of  the  Indians,  and  a  sympathizing  brother  to  mission 
aries.  He  warmly  advocated  the  scheme  for  the  colonization  of 
the  Indians,  and  kindly  favoured  the  design  of  taking  my  sons 
into  the  Columbian  College.  Speaking  to  him  of  the  great 
reluctance  with  which  1  had  left  the  missionary  station  on  this 
tour,  he  encouraged  me  to  hope  that  all  had  been  directed  by 
an  unerring  Providence.  God  had,  perhaps,  permitted  our 
necessities  to  become  such  as  to  force  me  to  make  this  tour,  in 
order  that  I  might  be  instrumental,  somewhat,  in  promoting  the 
colonization  of  the  tribes — a  measure  which  he  believed  was 
fraught  with  more  important  consequences  than  any  labours  of 


220 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


mine  could  effect  within  the  small  sphere  of  immediate  mission 
ary  operations. 

I  left  Washington  City  on  the  24th  of  February,  1824,  and 
passed  through  Baltimore,  Wilmington,  Philadelphia,  Holmes- 
burg,  New-Brunswick,  and  Newark,  to  New- York,  in  each  of 
\vliich  places,  especially  in  Philadelphia,  I  obtained  consider 
able  help  for  our  mission.  In  New- York  city  I  found  a  Baptist 
minister  of  respectability,  whose  mind  had  become  much  pre 
judiced  against  our  mission,  through  the  misrepresentations  of 
a  disaffected  missionary  who  had  been  dismissed  by  the  board, 
and  for  whom  this  minister  had  a  warm  partiality.  I  laboured 
in  vain  to  remove  his  prejudices ;  he  seemed  resolved  on  oppo 
sing  my  efforts  to  obtain  relief  for  the  mission.  Knowing  that 
we  had  nothing  to  fear  from  an  investigation  of  our  missionary 
matters,  his  opposition  was  turned  to  our  account  by  making  it 
a  cause  of  inquiry  into  our  affairs  among  the  Baptists  generally 
in  the  city.  The  result  was,  that  scarcely  a  man  in  the  city 
contributed  more  to  promote  liberality  towards  our  mission  by 
his  friendship,  than  this  minister  did  by  his  opposition. 

I  had  great  reason  to  be  thankful  for  the  kindness  of  our 
friends  in  New- York,  as  well  as  to  those  of  other  places,  My 
home  was  at  the  hospitable  dwelling  of  William  Colgate,  Esq. 
Rev.  Spencer  H.  Cone,  pastor  of  Oliver  street  church,  and  his 
lady,  warmly  espoused  the  cause  of  Indian  missions,  and  that 
of  our  stations  in  particular,  and  this  favourable  support  never 
abated. 

I  embarked  for  Providence  in  the  steamboat  Fulton,  where 
•every  face  was  strange  to  me.  Mr. Raymond,  of  New- 
York,  had  furnished  me  with  a  letter  to  a  Mr.  Wilder,  a  Chris 
tian  gentleman,  well  known  in  the  circles  of  benevolence.  He, 
without  solicitation,  proposed  to  make  an  effort  to  collect  some 
thing  for  us.  We  had  worship  in  the  cabin  on  Sabbath  morning, 
at  which  time  I  was  allowed  to  make  a  brief  appeal  to  the 
company,  which  was  followed  by  their  placing  in  my  hands 
twenty  dollars  for  the  mission. 

Reaching  Providence,  in  Rhode  Island,  I  found  that  the 
minister  who  had  opposed  me  in  New-York  had  sent  on  com 
munications  to  his  acquaintances,  which  had  reached  that  place 
before  me,  in  order  to  hedge  up  my  way,  that  I  might  not  be 
able  to  take  collections  for  the  mission.  The  repulse  which  I 
met  at  my  first  landing  in  Newr-England  was  not  a  light  trial  to 
me.  I  remembered  our  sufferings  at  the  station  !  the  splendid 
dwellings  were  contrasted  with  our  huts,  and  my  comfortable 
lodgings  with  the  nights  of  misery  which,  with  my  wife  and 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


221 


children,  I  had  spent  unsheltered  amidst  snow  and  rain  in  the 
wilderness.  I  could  not  approach  the  luxuries  of  their  tables 
without  being  reminded  of  passing  around  our  table,  distributing 
to  each  a  small  piece  of  bread,  because  we  could  afford  no 
more ;  of  living  weeks  at  a  time  without  bread,,  and  of  having 
seen  the  last  morsel  of  our  boiled  corn  eaten.  1  thought  it  was 
hard  that  Christians  should  so  far  indulge  in  prejudice  through 
partiality  for  a  friend,  as  to  endeavour  to  hinder  me  from 
obtaining  the  means  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  our  sufferings. 
But  God  designed  it  for  our  good.  Here,  in  New-England, 
the  opposition,  as  in  New- York,  elicited  inquiry,  which  resulted 
in  making  the  benevolent  more  liberal  to  the  mission  than  if  no 
such  cause  of  inquiry  had  existed.  In  Boston  a  meeting  was 
called  of  the  more  respectable  Baptist  ministers  and  others,  to 
make  inquiry  relative  to  the  condition  of  the  mission.  Many 
of  them  came  to  it  with  strong  prejudices  against  us,  occasioned 
by  the  misrepresentations  of  the  persons  before  alluded  to.  I 
had,  however,  taken  the  precaution,  on  leaving  home,  to  carry 
with  me  such  documents  as  would  unequivocally  show  what 
had  been  and  what  then  was  the  state  of  our  affairs.  Our  Bos 
ton  friends  became  fully  satisfied  in  regard  to  the  management 
of  our  affairs,  and  now,  in  the  warmth  of  zeal  in  a  cause  which 
they  were  sure  claimed  their  kindness,  they  resolved  to  pro 
mote  the  object  of  my  visit  to  Boston.  This  examination 
settled  the  question  in  New-England.  Of  their  number  they 
appointed  a  committee  of  three  ministers,  whose  characters 
were  universally  known,  to  aid  in  giving  success  to  my  efforts. 
This  committee  wrote  in  my  subscription  book  the  following : 

"  The  bearer  of  this,  the  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy,  is  an  approved 
missionary  of  the  Carey  station,  on  the  river  St.  Joseph's,  in 
Michigan  Territory,  among  the  Putawatomie  Indians.  He  is 
now  soliciting  subscriptions  and  donations  in  aid  of  that  mission. 
We,  the  subscribers,  have  seen  with  pleasure  the  ample  testi 
monials  of  Mr.  McCoy's  piety  and  fidelity  in  this  good  work, 
and  do  most  cordially  approve  of  his  character,  and  recommend 
him  to  the  patronage  of  all  the  friends  of  the  Redeemer,  who 
wish  for  the  civilization  and  salvation  of  the  aborigines  of  the 

"  THOMAS  BALDWIN, 
"  DANIEL  SHARP, 
"  F.  WAYLAND,  JUN." 

I  returned  through  New- York,  Albany,  and  Rochester,  to 
Buffalo,  on  Lake  Erie,  where  I  shipped  on  the  lake  the  pro 
perty  which  I  had  procured  for  the  mission.  I  obtained  on 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

this  tour  books,  clothing  for  the  Indian  scholars,  and  other 
articles  needed  for  the  benefit  of  the  mission,  to  the  amount  of 
eight  hundred  and  twenty  dollars.  Besides  the  five  hundred 
and  sixty-six  dollars  obtained  from  Government,  and  the  addi 
tion  of  two  hundred  dollars  a  year  to  the  annual  allowance  for 
the  support  of  our  mission,  I  received  in  donations  to  the  mis 
sion  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-three  dollars  in  cash. 
This  sum  was  sufficient,  besides  paying  our  debts,  to  procure 
some  additional  supplies,  and  to  pay  the  transportation  of  our 
goods  to  the  station.  I  took  home  thirty  bushels  of  wheat, 
for  seed,  one  hundred  barrels  of  flour,  and  twenty-four  barrels 
of  salt. 

At  Albany,  on  my  return  from  Massachusetts,  I  found  Mr. 
Robert  Simerwell,  with  whom  I  had  formed  an  acquaintance  in 
Philadelphia,  and  who,  agreeably  to  previous  arrangements, 
met  me  here,  with  a  view  of  uniting  with  us  in  missionary 
labours.  The  subsequent  history  of  the  mission  will  show  that 
we  found  in  Mr.  Simerwell  a  persevering  missionary  brother. 
We  embarked  on  Lake  Erie,  at  Buffalo,  the  25th  of  May,  in  the 
schooner  Neptune,  Capt.  Johnson.  On  the  night  of  the  28th 
we  had  a  thunder  storm,  and  a  pretty  severe  gale,  in  which  our 
danger  was  greater  than  at  the  moment  we  apprehended.  The 
vessel  was  old,  and  too  much  decayed  to  be  seaworthy,  a  cir 
cumstance  which  we  did  not  fully  understand  until  afterwards. 
I  noticed  that  during  the  storm  there  appeared  to  be  more 
anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  captain  and  others  of  the  crew  than 
I  had  expected  on  such  an  occasion,  which  doubtless  was  attri- 
tmtable  to  this  fact. 

The  day  had  been  calm;  at  dark,  a  black  cloud  covered  us, 
attended  with  heavy  thunder.  A  slight  rain  was  falling,  when 
we  were  not  a  little  surprised  at  a  phenomenon  which  to  us  was 
new.  Suddenly  the  top  of  each  mast  and  the  ends  of  the 
yard-arms  became  illuminated,  as  if  enveloped  in  a  flame  like 
that  produced  in  burning  ardent  spirits.  Each  light  was  glo 
bular,  extending  four  or  five  inches  from  the  substance  which  it 
enveloped.  Those  on  the  mast  tops  appeared  a  little  sooner 
than  the  others;  and  they  would  also  sometimes  suddenly  dis 
appear,  and  as  suddenly  reappear.  The  phenomenon  lasted 
about  twenty  minutes.  Being  unaccustomed  to  the  seas,  I  made 
inquiry  at  the  time  respecting  this  phenomenon,  of  some  who 
belonged  to  the  vessel ;  but  I  could  obtain  no  other  answer 
than  that  "  it  was  a  sure  sign  of  a  heavy  blow." 

At  Detroit  we  put  on  board  iron,  steel,  &c.,  for  our  public 
smithertes.  Mr.  Simerwell  continued  on  board  the  vessel,  and 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


223 


ascended  to  the  mouth  of  St.  Joseph's  river,  while  I  hired  a 
horse,  and  rode  home  through  the  wilderness.  A  ride  of  five 
days  brought  me  to  Carey,  on  the  llth  of  June,  1824,  after 
an  absence  of  about  five  and  a  half  months,  in  which  time  I 
had  travelled  three  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
miles.  It  was  peculiarly  gratifying  to  reach  the  place  which  of 
all  others  was  the  most  dear  to  me. 

In  my  absence  the  labours  of  the  missionaries  had  been  greater 
than  they  were  well  able  to  sustain.  Laudably  ambitious  to 
keep  all  matters  moving  forward,  and  to  prevent  a  retrogression 
in  any  department,  they  had  toiled  beyond  their  strength.  Mrs. 
McCoy's  health  was  poor,  and  her  spirits  were  more  depressed 
than  I  had  ever  known  them.  I  found  them  on  short  allow 
ance  of  bread.  On  the  16th  we  had  exhausted  all  our  bread 
stuff  excepting  a  few  pounds  reserved  for  the  small  children  and 
the  sick.  All  except  myself  were  in  good  spirits  in  regard  to 
food,  hourly  expecting  the  arrival  of  the  vessel.  I  feared  that 
contrary  winds  or  other  hindrances  might  cause  us  to  suffer, 
but  I  concealed  my  anxiety.  On  the  18th  we  had  only  corn 
enough  for  one  day,  but  our  merciful  God  was  still  near  us.  The 
harbour  at  which  the  vessel  would  stop  was  without  inhabitant. 
We  had  sent  two  of  our  Indian  pupils  to  build  and  keep  up  a 
fire  at  the  place,  in  order  that  the  smoke,  by  being  seen  from 
the  vessel,  might  point  out  the  place  of  landing.  The  youths 
were  directed  to  open  a  barrel  of  flour  immediately  on  the 
landing  of  the  vessel,  and  hasten  to  us  (twenty-five  miles)  with 
what  they  could  bring.  On  the  evening  of  the  18th,  to  our 
great  joy,  and  to  mine  in  particular,  one  of  the  young  men 
arrived  with  a  mule  packed  with  flour. 

We  brought  our  property  from  the  lake  to  the  station  upon 
the  St.  Joseph's  river  in  periogues.  Mr.  Polke  superintended 
this  labour.  From  that  time  forward  the  mission  did  not  suffer 
for  want  of  bread,  nor  did  our  pecuniary  wants  ever  again  be 
come  so  great  as  they  had  been. 

It  is  deserving  of  notice,  that  from  this  time  until,  by  an  ar 
rangement  with  the  Government  in  1830,  the  affairs  of  the  mis 
sion  at  that  place  were  wound  up,  we  never  had  occasion  to 
draw  on  the  board  of  missions  for  any  funds  intrusteo^  to  them 
by  the  benevolent,  excepting  some  donations  which  were  made 
specially  for  Carey,  and  which  the  board,  on  that  account,  could 
not,  apply  elsewhere.  With  this  exception,  the  mission,  hence 
forward,  cost  the  charity  funds  of  the  board  nothing. 

The  number  of  scholars  was  at  this  time  about  the  same  as 


224 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


when  I  left  home.  Indeed,  it  would  not  have  been  prudent  for 
them  to  have  added  to  the  family,  had  they  been  influenced  by 
no  other  reason  than  the  scarcity  of  bread.  Soon,  however,  the 
number  of  scholars  was  greatly  increased. 

As  I  returned  home  through  Detroit,  I  obtained  from  Gover- 
nour  Cass  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Police  as  teacher  for  the  Ot- 
tawas,  under  the  treaty  of  Chicago,  the  place  that  had  once 
been  given  to  Mr.  Sears.  Mr.  Polke  had  visited  those  Indians 
once,  but  had  not  made  any  definite  arrangements  with  them, 
excepting  that  the  public  labourers  had  afforded  them  some 
assistance  in  improving  their  lands.  Mr.  Lykins's  personal 
business  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  be  absent  from  the  station 
six  or  eight  weeks.  He  set  off  on  the  28th  of  June.  His  path 
led  him  four  days'  journey  through  an  uninhabited  wilderness. 

On  our  returning  from  a  journey  it  was  common  for  the  Indi 
ans  to  agree  upon  a  day  among  themselves,  when  they  would 
call  "to  hear  the  news."  On  the  29th,  four  chiefs  and  many 
others  made  the  inquiring  visit,  in  relation  to  the  late  tour. 
After  furnishing  tobacco  to  smoke,  and  exhibiting  some  curiosi 
ties,  which  I  had  brought  home  chiefly  for  that  purpose,  I  gave 
them  a  brief  history  of  the  tour,  and  told  of  the  kind  feelings  which 
many  had  manifested  for  their  Indian  brethren.  Towards  the 
conclusion  of  the  story,  I  informed  them  that  the  clothing,  flour, 
&c.,  which  I  had  brought  home  was  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indi 
an  children  who  had  become  members  of  our  family,  and  could 
not  be  given  to  others;  nevertheless,  as  a  token  of  friendship, 
we  would  present  them  with  some  tobabco  and  salt,  which  they 
might  take  and  divide  among  themselves.  We  had  never 
seen  a  company  of  Indians  appear  better  pleased  than  these 
were. 

In  the  spring  season  of  this  year,  Chebass,  one  of  the  prin 
cipal  Putawatomie  chiefs,  and  two  other  families  near  us,  com 
menced  improving  their  lands  in  a  manner  that  was  really  pro 
mising.  Three  log  cabins  were  erected,  and  two  considerable 
fields  fenced  with  rails.  In  this  labour,  and  in  ploughing  the 
fields,  the  mission  had  afforded  them  some  assistance. 

June  29th,  1824,  Mr.  Polke  set  out  for  the  Ottawa  station, 
with  tools,  &tc.,  for  the  smithery,  taking  with  him  a  blacksmith 
whom  we  had  hired,  and  one  of  our  Indian  pupils,  who  went 
with  a  view  of  learning  the  trade.  They  took  a  wagon,  drawn 
by  two  yokes  of  oxen,  driven  by  another  of  our  Indian  boys. 
He  left  the  two  public  labourers  at  work  for  the  Ottawas,  and 
returned  to  Carey  on  the  9th  of  July.  In  his  absence,  the  St. 


TNDIAN  MISSIONS. 


225 


Joseph's  river  had  risen,  which  on  their  return  they  did  not  per 
ceive  until  they  had  driven  the  team  into  the  stream,  and  oxen 
and  all  were  afloat.  They  succeeded  in  getting  all  back  to  the 
shore  they  had  left.  Unable  to  get  the  wagon  out  of  the  river, 
they  tied  it  to  a  tree,  that  it  might  not  be  carried  down  by  the 
stream  ;  they  then,  having  driven  their  beasts  across  the  river, 
and  swam  across  themselves,  came  home  wet  and  fatigued. 

Soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  mission,  a  boy,  whose 
mother  was  a  Putawatomie,  and  his  father  a  Frenchman,  named 
Rollo,  was  engaged  as  a  scholar  in  our  school.  The  boy  spoke 
both  English  and  Putawatomie.  Being  capable  of  interpreting 
for  us,  we  were  the  more  desirous  to  take  him  into  our  family, 
but  ultimately  his  father's  Catholic  prejudices  disappointed  us. 
He  said  "  he  was  afraid,  if  his  boy  came  to  live  with  us,  he 
would  lose  his  religion."  The  boy's  education  was  neglected,, 
and  he  learned  little  more  than  the  alphabet.  In  March  of  this 
year,  his  father  died  near  Fort  Harrison,  on  the  Wabash.  An 
thony,  the  boy,  who  had  nearly  reached  the  age  of  twenty  years, 
on  the  death  of  his  father  resolved,  if  possible,  to  get  to  our 
house.  He  was  naturally  lame,  and  scarcely  able  to  walk. 
With  some  difficulty  he  prevailed  upon  a  trader  to  carry  him 
on  horseback  to  Fort  Wayne,  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles. 
In  the  latter  part  of  June,  my  three  sons,  who  were  attending 
school  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  made  us  a  visit  at  Carey,  and  as 
they  passed  Fort  Wayne  they  found  Anthony  waiting  an  oppor 
tunity  to  get  on  to  us.  They  had  only  two  horses  to  aid  them 
in  corning  through  the  wilderness;  one  of  these  they  gave  up 
to  Anthony,  and  two  of  them  proceeding  on  foot,  they  brought 
him  with  them. 

About  this  time  it  was  discovered  that  the  prejudices  of  the 
Putawatomies,  with  which  we  had  to  contend  at  first,  had  almost 
wholly  vanished  from  among  those  who  were  near  us.  We  had 
never  before  seen  a  time  when  our  Indian  neighbours  manifested 
so  much  interest  in  the  mission.  Applications  to  us  to  take 
their  children  into  our  family  were  frequent,  and  their  attention 
to  religious  instruction  appeared  to  increase. 

We  had  long  regretted  that  business  which  was  indispensable 
to  the  existence  of  the  mission  had  denied  us  the  opportunity 
of  acquiring  fully  the  Putawatomie  language,  and  of  imparting 
religious  instruction  to  the  neighbouring  natives  to  the  extent 
that  was  desirable.  Our  solicitude  increased  on  perceiving  the 
natives  around  us  prepared  to  listen  to  us  on  the  subject  of  reli 
gion,  as  well  as  to  matters  relating  merely  to  their  temporal  com 
forts.  Under  all  the  embarrassments  which  existed,  it  was 

29 


226 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


resolved  to  make  an  effort  to  extend  our  religious  instructions. 
The  morning  sermon  was  delivered  at  the  mission  at  ten  o'clock. 
After  this,  on  the  morning  of  July  4th,  I  took  Noaquett,  alias 
Luther  Rice,  one  of  our  Indian  boys  who  had  acquired  some 
knowledge  of  English  in  our  family,  and  rode  five  miles  to  an 
Indian  village ;  the  other  missionaries  attending  to  the  Sabbath- 
school  and  other  services  at  the  mission.  At  the  house  where 
we  halted  we  found  the  Indians  at  their  usual  occupations. 
One  woman  was  pounding  corn  in  a  mortar,  two  were  making 
moccasins,  one  was  preparing  bark  for  the  construction  of  sacks, 
some  of  the  men  were  idle,  and  four  of  them  were  playing  at 
cards.  We  were  received  with  the  usual  expressions  of  friend 
ship,  though  the  men  with  cards  were  too  much  interested  in 
their  game  to  take  much  notice  of  us.  I  entered  into  conversa 
tion  with  others,  but  could  not  thereby  divert  the  attention  of 
the  gamblers  from  their  cards.  At  length  I  told  the  owner  of 
the  house  that  I  had  come  to  talk  to  them  about  God  and  religion. 
I  had  lived  long  among  them,  and  had  said  too  little  to  them 
upon  this  subject.  I  had  not  enjoyed  an  opportunity  of  acquir 
ing  such  a  knowledge  of  their  language  as  I  had  hoped  for,  nor 
had  I  been  able  to  get  a  suitable  interpreter.  I  had  at  length 
concluded  that  while  I  was  preparing  to  make  preaching  to  them 
in  their  villages  more  convenient,  either  they  or  I  might  die, 
when  opportunities  to  give  and  to  hear  religious  talks  would  be 
forever  closed. 

They  replied  that  they  would  be  glad  to  hear  me.  Others 
were  called  in,  the  cards  were  concealed,  and  a  considerable 
company  was  soon  in  an  attitude  to  hear.  All  were  attentive, 
and  some  appeared  truly  solemn,  quite  beyond  what  I  had  an 
ticipated.  They  were  informed  that  if  it  would  be  agreeable  to 
them,  such  visits  and  exercises  would  be  frequently  repeated. 
One  replied  in  behalf  of  all,  "  We  will  be  glad  to  hear  you  tell 
us  about  these  things,  that  we  may  know  how  to  please  our 
Father  [God."]  "  Yes,"  said  Porcupine-Moccasin,  who  had 
just  been  at  his  cards,  "  nobody  will  be  sorry  for  that.  We  will 
be  glad  when  you  come,  and  will  listen  to  you."  They  inquired 
at  what  time  I  would  visit  them  again,  and  on  taking  our  leave 
an  old  man  repeated  thanks  for  our  attention  to  them,  and  de 
sired  it  to  be  continued. 

We  persevered  in  the  practice  of  visiting  one  or  two  villages 
every  Sabbath,  and  preaching  to  such  as  we  could  collect. 
Sometimes  we  had  a  tolerable  number  of  hearers,  at  other  times 
their  necessities  compelled  them  to  be  absent  in  quest  of  food, 
by  hunting,  &c.  Human  nature,  however,  is  in  itself  the  same 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  227 

in  every  land,  whether  civilized  or  savage.  Carnal,  sinful  man 
hates  Gospel  truth,  and  nothing  short  of  divine  influence  will 
subdue  the  rebellious  heart. 

On  the  14th  of  July,  five  chiefs  and  others,  great  and  small, 
to  the  number  of  about  one  hundred,  assembled  at  our  house  to 
talk.  Many  of  them  were  preparing  to  make  a  journey  to  De 
troit  and  to  Canada,  with  a  view  of  receiving  presents  from  the 
British  at  the  latter  place.  We  were  under  the  necessity  of 
listening  to  their  long  speeches,  the  principal  design  of  which 
was  to  induce  us  to  give  them  an  ox  for  food  on  their  journey. 
We  could  not  grant  their  request,  but  gave  them  some  powder 
and  lead,  with  which  they  might  procure  wild  meat.  We  em 
braced  such  opportunities  as  this  of  enforcing  arguments  in 
favour  of  their  adopting  the  habits  of  civilized  life.  On  the 
following  day  we  had  a  visit  from  the  Ottawas,  and  learned  that 
our  labourers,  smith,  &c.,  among  them,  would  not  be  able,  as 
we  had  hoped,  to  obtain  from  the  Indians  a  sufficiency  of  wild 
meat  to  supply  their  wants.  They  also  brought  information 
that  the  Ottawas  were  beginning  to  feel  deeply  interested  in  our 
efforts  for  their  improvement,  and  had  expressed  a  desire  that 
we  should  locate  the  smithery  on  Grand  river,  in  a  central  and 
more  eligible  place.  This  was  an  effect  we  had  hoped  to  pro 
duce  when  we  put  the  smithery  into  operation  upon  their  bor 
der,  and  had  in  this  cautious  manner  introduced  ourselves  to 
their  acquaintance. 

The  Indians  return  to  their  villages  for  the  purpose  of  plant 
ing  their  fields  in  May  and  June ;  from  that  time  until  their 
fields  yield  them  vegetables  is  the  most  trying  season  of  the 
year,  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  food.  I  find  in  the  journals 
of  the  mission  the  following  note  for  July  17th : 

"  The  Indians  are  so  exceedingly  pinched  with  hunger  at  this 
season  of  the  year,  that  swarms  of  them  linger  about  us,  in 
hopes  of  getting  a  few  crumbs  or  bones  from  onr  table,  or  the 
liquor  in  which  any  food  may  chance  to  have  been  boiled.  We 
are  continually  grieved  at  witnessing  their  distresses ;  we  cannot 
feed  them,  and  yet  many  cases  present  themselves,  especially 
of  women  and  children,  too  affecting  to  be  wholly  disregarded. 
Often,  on  presenting  a  petition  for  the  relief  of  hunger,  they 
place  a  hand  upon  the  stomach,  to  show  how  it  is  sunken  for 
want  of  food.  A  few  hours  ago  a  woman  appeared  in  our  house 
with  moccasins  to  exchange  for  powder  and  lead  ;  pleading  that 
she  and  the  family  with  which  she  lived  were  in  a  measure 
starving.  She  had  nephews  who  would  hunt  for  wild  meat,  did 
they  possses  the  means  of  taking  it.  She  was  informed  that  we 


228 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


could  not  conveniently  grant  her  the  articles  she  needed,  yet 
she  continued  her  importunity,  entreating  for  a  '  very  little.' 
Begging  like  this  occurs  almost  hourly  through  the  day ;  at  this 
time  eight  or  ten  unfortunate  women  are  at  our  house,  hegging 
for  a  morsel  to  eat.  When  we  gave  the  old  woman,  alluded  to 
above,  a  little  salt,  she  said,  '  This  will  season  the  weeds  on 
which  1  feed.'  She  declared  to  us  that  for  several  days  she 
and  the  families  with  which  she  was  connected  had  not  eaten  a 
particle  of  any  kind  of  food,  except  weeds  boiled  without  salt 
or  grease.  This  is,  at  this  time,  the  condition  of  hundreds 
around  us. 

"  To-day  an  Indian  woman  brought  to  our  house,  and  left 
here,  her  little  girl,  about  five  years  of  age,  a  sister  to  two  little 
boys  recently  taken  into  the  family,  and  departed  without  say 
ing  any  thing  to  any  of  us  on  the  subject  of  leaving  the  child. 
She,  no  doubt,  supposed  that  our  family  was  so  large  that  we 
would  not  increase  it  by  receiving  her  child,  and  therefore  she 
resorted  to  this  expedient  in  order  to  secure  a  situation  for  it, 
knowing  that  we  could  not  permit  the  child  to  suffer.  We  found 
the  poor,  wretched  little  creature  in  company  of  its  brothers, 
and,  upon  inquiry,  ascertained  whence  it  came.  When  the  bell 
called  to  evening  prayers,  this  little  girl,  instructed  no  doubt  by 
its  brothers,  and  perhaps  by  its  mother,  came  running  with 
others,  and  with  them  kneeled  in  prayer,  with  a  view,  as  we 
presumed,  of  enlisting  our  sympathies  in  her  favour.  The  poor 
creature  was  stripped  of  its  rags,  and  dressed  like  our  other 
children,  and  attended  with  our  prayers  that  she  and  her  poor 
kindred  might  be  clothed  with  the  garment  of  salvation." 

We  were  deeply  affected  by  a  complaint  of  poverty  on  the 
25th.  We  had  concluded  the  public  worship  at  a  neighbouring 
village,  where  there  had  mingled  with  the  company  before  us 
twelve  children,  four  of  whom  were,  with  a  very  slight  excep 
tion,  destitute  of  clothing;  many  others,  some  of  them  adults, 
were  little  better  furnished.  We  had  a  solemn,  attentive  audi 
ence,  and  after  worship  they  conversed  freely  and  feelingly  on 
the  subject  of  religion  ;  but  before  the  conclusion  the  poor  crea 
tures  said  that  their  children  wept  almost  constantly  with  hunger. 
The  truth  of  this  we  had  no  reason  to  doubt. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  229 

\ 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Sickness.  Visit  of  the  Sauks.  Effects  of  ardent  spirits. 
Revival  of  religion.  Journey  to  Ohio  and  death  of  a  child. 
Condition  of  the  institution,  as  reported  by  the  United  States' 
Commissioner.  Baptisms.  Tour  among  the  Ottawas.  Se 
lection  of  a  site  for  a  missionary  station.  Indian  Coloniza 
tion.  Continuation  of  religious  animation. 

Soon  after  my  return  from  the  eastward  my  health  began  to 
fail,  and  1  continued  to  sink  until,  on  the  26th  of  July,  I  became 
confined  to  my  bed.  We  had,  however,  so  much  business  on 
hand  at  this  time,  with  the  Indians  and  with  our  numerous  cor 
respondents,  that  I  was  compelled  to  write  whenever  I  was  able 
to  sit  up,  and  sometimes  as  I  lay  in  my  bed.  On  the  llth  of 
August  my  situation  was  such  that  the  brethren  sent  to  Fort 
Wayne,  one  hundred  miles,  for  a  physician.  A  note  in  the 
journals  for  August  the  13th,  though  written  subsequently,  reads 
as  follows :  "  Was  very  sick  indeed ;  brother  Simerwell  had 
the  kindness  to  write  for  me  respecting  my  views  of  missionary 
affairs,  and  the  course  which  I  thought  would  be  proper  for  my 
surviving  brethren  and  the  board  to  pursue,  in  relation  to  this 
mission,  after  my  decease. 

"  This  is  a  time  of  severe  trial ;  I  am  so  rapidly  sinking  under 
my  disease,  that  both  myself  and  my  friends  around  me  are 
confident  that  I  cannot  sustain  many  days  of  afflictions  like  the 
present.  Besides  what  relates  to  myself,  and  the  condition  of 
my  family,  many  trying  considerations  press  upon  my  mind  in 
relation  to  missionary  matters.  The  situation  of  my  wife  gives 
me  much  concern ;  she  and  I  have  sustained  the  burden  of 
affairs,  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  without  assistance ;  the 
consequence  has  been,  that  both  her  health  and  spirits  have  been 
some  time  sinking.  Knowing  that  she  has  sacrificed  her  health, 
to  a  considerable  extent,  to  keep  the  mission  in  existence  until 
we  should  be  re-enforced  by  other  missionaries,  it  now  gives  me 
indescribable  pain  to  leave  her  in  her  afflicted  situation.  None 
will  be  able  to  form  an  adequate  idea  of  what  she  has  borne, 
and  who  will  there  be  on  earth  to  comfort  her  by  appropriate 
sympathy,  or  to  sustain  her  by  suitable  pity  and  kindness  !  Yet 
I  find  comfort  in  affliction.  I  have  spoken  of  these  things  to 
my  brethren  and  sisters,  and,  to  their  honour  be  it  recorded,  the 
most  tender,  affectionate,  and  sincere  assurances  that  I  could 
desire  have  been  given  that  there  shall  be  nothing  wantinc  to 


230  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST  { 

the  partner  of  my  toils  which  their  opportunities  shall  allow.  I 
have  spent  so  many  months  from  home,  that  the  writings  of  the 
mission,  the  accounts,  and  considerable  business  with  individuals, 
are  not  in  that  regular  train  that  could  be  desired. 

"  Our  mission  has  not  been,  and  is  not  likely  to  be,  amply 
supported  by  the  society  we  serve;  it  is  now  supported  by  the 
personal  exertions  of  the  missionaries.  I  am  confident  that  the 
unfortunate  Indians  have  but  few  substantial  friends  among  the 
whites — 1  mean  friends  who  will  make  sacrifices  of  property, 
of  ease,  and  of  health,  and  will  persevere  in  vigorous,  disin 
terested,  and  judiciously  managed  efforts  for  their  reformation. 
I  feel  confident  that  the  present  missionary  operations  among 
the  natives  ought  to  be  considered  as  merely  the  rudiments  of 
the  system  of  effort  which,  humanly  speaking,  is  to  succeed ;  I 
am  well  assured  that,  in  general,  the  mind  of  the  public  is  but 
illy  informed  on  the  subject  of  Indian  improvement;  I  therefore 
feel  a  strong,  very  strong  desire  to  be  allowed  a  while  longer  to 
bear  a  part  with  fellow-labourers  in  divers  parts  of  the  forests, 
in  pleading  for  the  Indians,  and  in  instructing  them  in  the  way 
to  heaven ;  yet  I  know,  and  have  this  day  acknowledged  to 
God  and  to  my  brethren,  that  Jehovah  is  not  dependant  on  such 
a  worm  as  I  for  the  accomplishment  of  what  he  will  do  for  the 
poor  natives.  With  my  afflictions  and  great  anxiety  is  mingled 
a  degree  of  faith  that  is  consoling,  that  God  will  mercifully  save 
the  people  for  whom  I  have  considered  it  a  great  privilege  to  be 
allowed  to  labour,  by  such  means  as  wisdom  shall  employ. 
Looking  back  on  many  circumstances  in  which  the  interposing 
hand  of  Providence  seems  to  have  been  conspicuous  in  favour 
of  the  mission,  I  hope  for  its  prosperity  and  success.  Other 
missionaries  are,  no  doubt,  encouraged  by  similar  considerations. 
I  hope  God  will  save  the  Indians,  and  will  take  to  himself  all 
the  glory. 

"  I  have  given  directions  respecting  my  private  concerns. 
My  sufferings  this  day  have  been  considerable,  nevertheless  1 
am  surrounded  with  mercy ;  I  receive  all  the  comfort  that  kind 
ness  can  impart;  and,  above  all,  I  am  allowed  the  consolations 
of  the  Bible  and  the  hope  of  heaven." 

"  In  my  distress  I  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  heard  me," 
and  restored  me  to  health,  though  it  was  the  5th  of  September 
before  I  was  able  to  walk  to  the  house  of  worship. 

The  kind  feelings  which  the  Indians  manifested  to  us  in  our 
afflictions  were  often  deeply  affecting.  On  the  19th  of  August 
Cash-kas  was  the  bearer  of  a  message  from  a  considerable  num 
ber  of  them,  on  the  subject  of  impositions  which  were  practised 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


231 


upon  them  by  unprincipled  white  men.  He  then  said,  "  We 
are  much  concerned  on  account  of  your  ill  health ;  we  often 
say  to  each  other,  '  if  he  should  die,  we  shall  not  find  another 
friend  like  him  to  help  us.  We  are  ignorant — we  need  advice 
and  assistance,  and  we  have  but  few  friends;  we  very  much 
desire  his  recovery.'  '  It  frequently  happened  that,  on  taking 
me  by  the  hand,  they  would  lift  their  eyes  towards  heaven,  and 
invoke  on  me  the  blessing  of  the  Great  Spirit.  On  the  1st  of 
August,  1824,  Mr.  Lykins  returned  from  his  journey  to  the 
Wabash. 

The  Sauks*  annually  visited  the  British  possessions  in  Cana 
da,  to  receive  presents  guarantied  to  them  by  that  Government 
for  their  services  in  the  last  war  with  the  United  States.  On  the 
4th  of  August  a  company  of  them  called  on  us,  to  beg  a  little 
provision,  and  to  get  their  guns  repaired  at  oursmithery.  They 
behaved  well.  They  begged  us  to  allow  them  to  eat  a  hog 
which  they  had  discovered  on  the  plantation,  that  had  died  of 
disease,  and  had  become  putrid.  On  leaving,  they  all,  even 
the  women  and  children,  took  me  by  the  hand.  One  of  the 
old  men,  in  his  valedictory  benediction,  prayed  for  the  blessing 
of  the  Great  Spirit  to  descend  upon  me,  and  talked  until  his 
eyes  were  moistened  with  tears. 

On  the  llth  of  August,  my  eldest  son,  who  had  been  sent 
to  Detroit  with  our  accounts,  report,  &ic.,  and  to  transact  other 
business,  returned  with  a  gratifying  communication  from  His 
Excellency  Lewis  Cass.  On  the  19th,  i\lr.  Polke  set  off 
upon  a  journey  to  the  Wabash,  not  expecting  to  return  before 
December. 

At  this  time  lands  which  had  been  ceded  by  the  Indians  to 
the  United  Spates  approached  on  one  side  within  a  mile  of  us. 
Remote  as  we  were  from  white  settlements,  some  such  restless 
men  as  are  always  to  be  found  on  the  frontiers  followed  our 
road,  and  began  to  settle  on  the  United  States'  land  not  far 
from  us.  Some  of  these  were  worthless,  and,  their  principal 
design  being  to  sell  whiskey  to  the  Indians,  soon  became  an  ex 
ceeding  pest.  At  first  we  reasoned  and  remonstrated,  but  this 
was  fruitless  with  men  who  had  sunk  below  all  sense  of  honour, 
and  had  become  callous  to  every  kind  feeling  of  humanity. 
We  then  threatened  with  as  little  effect,  because  they  had  little 
property  and  less  reputation  to  lose,  and  should  they  even  be 
driven  to  another  place  by  force  it  mattered  little  to  them  where 
they  were,  if  beyond  the  restraints  of  law  and  the  good  order 

*  The  name  of  this  tribe  is  generally  written  Sac.  But  the  true  pronun 
ciation  is  Sauk,  (singular,)  Saukeek,  (plural.) 


232 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


of  civilized  society.  We  finally  concluded  we  would  make 
another  effort  to  bring  the  laws  forbidding  this  nefarious  traffic 
in  ardent  spirits  to  bear  upon  the  offenders.  Mr.  R.  D.  Potts, 
United  States'  sub-agent  of  Indian  affairs,  was  boarding  in  our 
house  at  this  time.  We  took  measures  to  obtain  such  evidence 
as  the  law  required  against  the  venders  of  ardent  spirits  to  the 
Indians,  and  to  our  communication  to  Governour  Cass,  upon 
the  subject,  Mr.  Potts  added  his  official  report  of  a  case.  But 
the  practice  of  furnishing  the  Indians  with  ardent  spirits  was  at 
this  time  so  general  in  that  country,  that  the  officers  of  Govern 
ment  supposed  the  evil  could  not  be  corrected.  Therefore, 
notwithstanding  the  practice  prevailed  notoriously,  the  offenders 
escaped  with  impunity.  In  answer  to  our  report  of  the  offence 
under  consideration,  the  Governour  of  Michigan  Territory  for 
warded  to  me  a  magistrate's  commission,  that  I  might  be  autho 
rized  to  enforce  the  laws  in  such  cases.  But  as  the  nature  of 
my  business  did  not  justify  my  taking  upon  me  such  responsi 
bilities,  I  declined  accepting  the  commission,  and  here  the  mat 
ter  ended. 

Many  of  the  Indians  manifested  a  dislike  to  this  traffic  in 
ardent  spirits,  fraught  with  ruin  to  themselves,  though  they  sel 
dom  possessed  fortitude  to  withstand  the  temptation  to  drink. 
On  the  20th  of  August,  Pocagin,  a  chief,  and  many  others,  carne 
to  inform  us  of  liquor  in  their  country,  and  expressed  a  wish  to 
go  and  seize  it.  We  could  not  hope  that  Indians  in  such  cases 
would  be  governed  by  sound  discretion,  and  therefore  dissuaded 
them  from  their  purpose.  About  this  time  they  frequently  ap 
plied  to  us  for  aid  in  securing  their  little  property  and  money, 
received  from  Government,  from  the  rapacity  of  those  lawless 
white  people.  But  we  could  oftener  pity  than  help  them.  Our 
abhorrence  of  the  vile  conduct  of  those  outlaws,  and  our  devo 
tion  to  the  interests  of  the  Indians,  aroused  in  the  former  the 
most  vindictive  feelings  towards  us.  But  they  did  not  presume 
to  insult  us  personally,  and  their  tongues  could  do  us  no  harm, 
either  with  Indians  or  white  people.  We  feared  that  they 
would  injure  some  of  our  property  by  fire,  but  they  did  not. 

In  August  we  were  cutting  hay  on  the  prairies.  In  this,  as 
in  other  labours  on  the  farm,  we  taught  our  larger  Indian  boys 
to  bear  a  part.  Mr.  Lykins  was  under  the  necessity  of  super 
intending  this  business,  until  he  was  attacked  with  sickness, 
which  deprived  the  mission  of  his  services  two  or  three  weeks. 
Mr.  Polke  was  absent,  and  I  was  sick,  so  that  Mr.  Simerwell 
was  the  only  efficient  male  missionary  on  the  premises. 

It  happened  that  the  few  members  of  the  board  of  missions 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


233 


who  were  active  in  the  management  of  its  concerns,  were  so 
charged  with  the  affairs  of  the  Columbian  College,  that  after  my 
departure  from  Washington,  the  preceding  winter,  the  plan  for 
colonizing  the  Indians  in  the  West  did  not  receive  that  attention 
which  while  I  was  present  the  board  had  resolved  to  bestow 
upon  it.  Their  resolution  to  bring  the  subject  before  the  pub 
lic,  in  order  that  views  and  feelings  might  be  elicited  favourable 
to  a  vigorous  effort  for  the  promotion  of  the  design  at  the  ensu 
ing  session  of  Congress,  had  been  neglected.  This  circumstance 
we  regretted  exceedingly,  but  could  not  allow  the  subject  to 
sleep.  Mr.  Rice  was  written  to  in  relation  to  it  on  the  5th  of 
August,  and  Dr.  Staughton  on  the  27th. 

On  the  2d  of  September,  Miss  Goodridge  made  an  interesting 
visit  to  an  Indian  village,  with  a  view  to  religious  conversation 
with  the  females.  These  visits  were  repeated  as  often  as  cir 
cumstances  admitted.  We  were  also  gratified  with  an  inquiry 
from  a  neighbouring  village,  "  When  would  it  be  Sunday  ?"  or 
as  they  express  it,  "  Prayer  day  ?" 

About  this  time  it  was  necessary  that  some  one  of  us  should 
go  to  the  Ottawas,  for  the  purpose  of  adjusting  our  affairs  with 
them.  They  had  expressed  a  strong  desire  that  this  should  be 
done,  and  sent  us  word  that  they  had  long  looked  for  us.  Mr. 
Simerwell  being  the  only  missionary  at  the  station  able  to  attend 
to  business,  we  could  do  no  better  than  to  write  to  each  party, 
and  inform  them  why  we  failed  to  visit  them,  and  to  express  to 
them  some  useful  thoughts.  This  communication  was  carried 
by  three  of  our  Indian  pupils,  one  of  whom  was  a  man  grown. 
Our  smith  was  directed  to  read  the  letter  to  the  inhabitants  of 
each  village,  and  one  of  the  Indian  boys  to  interpret  it.  This 
measure  tended  to  cherish  kind  feelings  among  the  Ottawas. 
Assisted  by  one  of  the  United  States'  labourers,  a  stack  of 
prairie  hay  was  made  before  their  return,  for  the  subsistence  of 
our  oxen  through  the  succeeding  winter.  They  brought  home 
with  them,  for  our  school,  an  Ottawa  girl  about  seven  years  old. 
Business  at  Fort  Wayne  and  in  Ohio  required  attention;  but 
having  no  missionary  to  look  after  it,  my  eldest  son  (not  yet 
grown)  set  out  for  this  purpose  on  the  9th  of  September.  Mrs. 
McCoy,  whose  health  at  this  time  required  a  respite  from  her 
onerous  charge,  and  that  she  might  afford  him  some  counsel  in 
relation  to  the  business,  accompanied  our  son  on  this  journey. 
Our  late  afflictions  had  not  a  little  deranged  the  order  of  the  school 
and  other  matters.  By  the  20th  of  September,  Mr.  Lykins 
had  so  far  recovered  his  health  as  to  be  able  to  resume  his  ordi- 
30 


234 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


nary  labours,  and  matters  became  restored  to  their  usual  condi 
tion. 

About  the  1st  of  September,  the  Miamies  were  paid  an  annu 
ity  at  Fort  Wayne,  and  before  these  bacchanalians  concluded 
the  frolic  that  always  attends  the  payment  of  an  annuity,  they 
committed  six  murders.     About  the  20th  of  September,  three 
murders   were  committed  near  us,  among  the   Putawatomies. 
A  friend  of  one  of  the  murdered,  by  way  of  retaliation,  killed  a 
young  man  who  was  deaf  and  dumb.     On  the  night  of  the  22d, 
one  of  the  murderers  encamped  and  slept  in  our  yard,  but  with 
out  our  knowledge,  until  we  were  informed  of  it  on  the  follow 
ing  morning.     Two  Indians,  at  that  time  with  us,  who  were 
related  to  the  deaf  Indian,  had  concealed  themselves  during  the 
night,  through  fear  of  the  wicked  man  just  mentioned.     Noa- 
quett,  one  of  our  pupils,  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  who  was 
also  related  to  the  murdered  deaf  man,  had  been  marked  out  by 
the  murderer  for  another  victim.     We  advised  all  who  deemed 
themselves  in  danger  to  keep  close  about  our  house  for  some 
time,   and  if  this  wicked  man  was  again  seen  about  us,  to  give 
us  information,  and  we  should  bestow  upon  him  such  attentions 
as  the  case  called  for.     Noaquett  felt  ambitious,  though  but  a 
boy,  and  under  the  influence  of  Indian  feelings,  said  "  he  did 
not  regard  to  die."     But  we  reasoned  him  out  of  his  spirit  of 
retaliation.     Five  days  afterwards,  the  man  who  had  threatened 
some  of  our  family  returned  to  our  house.     We  took   him  into 
a  room  and  conversed  with  him  on  the  subject,  stating  to  him 
some  of  the  dreadful  consequences  of  murder,  and  among  other 
things  the  denunciations  of  our  good  book  against  the  murderer. 
Noaquett  and  another  who  felt  himself  aggrieved  were  brought 
in.     On  their  entering  the  room,  the  murderer  appeared  some 
what  alarmed,  but  I  assured   him  that  he  had  nothing  to  fear 
from  us.    The  effect  of  the  interview  was  to  induce  the  parties  to 
profess  to  be  reconciled.     The  murderer  said,  "  If  I  had  known 
before   I   killed  the  man  what   I  do  now,  I  would  not  have 
done  it." 

About  this  time  we  commenced  writing  and  reading  religious 
discourses  to  the  Putawatomies,  in  their  own  language.  With 
this  they  were  better  pleased  than  when  we  spoke  to  them 
through  an  interpreter.  After  my  late  attack  of  sickness,  my 
first  visit  to  an  Indian  village,  to  preach,  was  on  the  10th  of 
October.  Our  service  was  in  the  house  of  Amukos,  who  re 
ceived  us  kindly,  and  called  in  his  neighbours.  It  was  our 
custom,  at  the  close  of  the  discourse,  to  encourage  them  to 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


235 


engage  in  conversation  on  the  subject  of  religion.  On  this 
occasion  Amukos  replied,  "  I  have  heard  you.  I  will  think  of 
these  things,  and  not  forget  them.  I  will  endeavour  to  under 
stand  them."  In  conversation,  however,  he  betrayed  the  influ 
ence  of  that  principle  of  self-righteousness  which  is  natural  to 
sinful  man  in  a  savage  as  well  as  in  a  civilized  state.  I  inquired 
if  he  felt  willing  to  forsake  sin  and  to  obey  God  ?  He  uttered 
a  slight  exclamation,  indicative  of  the  vanity  of  his  mind,  and 
said,  "  I  believe  I  have  not  been  very  bad.  You  know  me 
well,  and  you  know  that  I  am  not  a  very  bad  man." 

Here  we  visited  a  poor  sick  woman,  who  was  reduced  to  a 
skeleton,  lying  on  the  earth,  in  a  condition  which  seemed  to  be 
the  extreme  of  poverty  and  wretchedness.  I  inquired  what 
was  the  state  of  her  mind,  &c.  She  said  she  still  hoped  that  she 
would  recover,  and  that,  should  she  die,  she  would  go  to  God, 
having  thought  of  religious  things,  more  or  less,  ever  since  she 
had  been  capable  of  reflection.  I  could  not  discover  that  she 
had  any  just  ideas  of  the  evil  of  sin,  nor  of  the  depravity  of 
her  heart.  She  wished  me  to  think  that  she  had  not  been  very 
wicked,  and  named  prevailing  vices  among  the  Indians,  to  which 
she  had  not  been  addicted.  I  said  such  things  as  I  thought 
were  best  calculated  to  teach  her  the  wickedness  of  her  heart, 
and  the  necessity  of  repentance  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus. 
When  I  exhorted  her  to  pray,  she  replied,  "  I  would  pray  if  1 
knew  how."  This  was  very  affecting.  Such  explanations 
were  made  to  her  as  were  deemed  proper.  We  had  enjoyed 
the  morning  service  at  the  mission  house,  and  from  this  visit  we 
returned  thither  in  the  evening,  with  better  feelings  than  usual. 
The  following  note  in  the  journal  will  show  how  the  evening 
was  employed : 

"  At  the  close  of  evening  prayers  one  of  our  Indian  girls 
requested  that  some  time  might  be  employed  by  them  in  sing 
ing  spiritual  songs ;  and,  while  I  write  this  note,  I  hear  them 
singing  hymns  of  praise  to  Jesus. 

"  A  white  man,  in  our  employ  as  a  labourer,  with  a  solemn 
countenance,  seats  himself  in  my  room.  On  my  turning  to 
him,  and  inquiring  after  the  state  of  his  mind,  he  bursts  into 
tears,  exclaiming,  '  I  feel  that  I  am  the  worst  sinner  in  the 
world  ;'  he  retires  abruptly.  Four  other  white  men  in  our  em 
ploy  come  in ;  one  of  them  says,  '  he  most  earnestly  desires  to 
become  religious ;'  leans  his  head  on  his  hand  and  weeps. 
Another  expresses  similar  feelings.  A  third  says  '  he  can't  tell 
me  how  he  feels ;'  hangs  his  head  and  wipes  his  eyes.  The 
fourth  says,  *  It  seems  to  him  that  he  never  can  become  reli- 


236 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


gious;  the  more  be  tries,  the  worse  he  is.  He  cannot  think  one 
good  thought,'  &c.  I  say  within  myself,  I  trust  you  are  not  far 
from  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Two  of  our  sisters  are  with  us, 
and  two  of  our  Indian  girls  have  seated  themselves  near,  and 
have  listened  to  us.  I  direct  my  discourse  to  them  ;  they  say 
but  little;  one  of  them  weeps  freely.  This  is  a  very  pleasant 
evening.  Few  such  have  been  enjoyed  in  this  lonely  desert. 
I  relate  some  of  my  own  Christian  experience.  We  kneel  and 
pray,  and  the  clock  announces  the  hour  to  retire  to  rest." 

On  the  llth  of  October,  Mr.  Lykins,  Mr.  Simerwell,  and 
Miss  Goodridge,  and  several  of  the  Indian  part  of  our  family, 
gratified  their  curiosity  in  witnessing  the  medicine  dance  and 
feast  at  a  neighbouring  village.  Old  Topenebe,  the  principal 
Putawatomie  chief,  had  a  child  lying  a  corpse;  but  he  was  so 
intent  upon  attending  the  festival,  that  he  could  not  attend  to  its 
burial,  but  intrusted  the  management  of  the  funeral  to  another. 

About  this  time  application  was  made  to  us,  by  two  Indian 
families  near  the  lake,  for  live  stock  and  assistance  in  other 
matters  relating  to  fanning.  We  were  pleased  to  find  them 
disposed  to  improve  their  condition,  and  afforded  them  all  the 
encouragement  that  was  practicable.  Another  village  solicited 
assistance  in  ploughing  the  ensuing  spring.  On  the  same  day 
I  rode  out  with  Saukine-neep  and  his  brother,  to  aid  them  in 
selecting  a  suitable  place  for  a  farm.  We  first  became  ac 
quainted  with  Saukine-neep  about  two  years  before  this  time. 
He  was  then  a  very  worthless  fellow,  but  afterwards  became 
much  improved;  and  through  his  influence  we  prevailed  on  his 
mother,  brother,  and  sister,  from  Mackinaw,  who  had  made 
him  a  visit,  to  remain  near  us,  and  commence  civilized  life. 
On  our  return  from  selecting  a  farming  place  for  Saukene-neep, 
Cashkas  inquired  where  we  had  made  the  location,  repeated  his 
determination  to  make  a  farm  the  ensuing  spring,  and  expressed 
some  fears  that  the  better  places  near  us  would  be  taken  up 
before  he  should  complete  his  winter's  hunt.  Shauno-kaute, 
who  had  been  living  at  the  distance  of  about  fifteen  miles,  set 
tled  near  us,  and  procured  cattle  and  hogs,  and  learned  to  work 
oxen.  Our  souls  were  refreshed  by  these  accumulating  evidences 
of  a  disposition  among  the  Indians  to  exchange  savage  for  civi 
lized  habits. 

At  evening  prayers,  such  as  felt  disposed  to  attend,  were 
invited  to  one  of  our  private  rooms,  to  spend  a  while  in  prayer, 
praise,  and  religious  conversation.  Five  hired  white  men,  and 
two  males  and  three  females  of  our  Indian  pupils,  attended  on 
the  first  night  of  these  exercises;  at  which  time  we  spent  two 


INDIAN  MISSIONS 


237 


Lours,  much  to  our  satisfaction.     These  conference  meetings 
were  repeated  one  evening  in  each  week. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  my  son  returned  from  Ohio,  having 
hired  a  blacksmith  for  one  of  our  smitheries,  and  loaded  a 
wagon  with  articles  needed  at  the  mission.  Mrs.  McCoy  and 
our  infant  were  detained  in  Troy,  Ohio,  both  sick  of  fevers. 
They  received  all  the  comforts  which  kind  attentions  could  im 
part,  in  the  hospitable  dwelling  of  Mr.  J.  R.  John,  who,  with  his 
excellent  wife,  were  well  known  by  generous  and  noble  deeds. 
On  the  18th,  my  son  set  off  again  for  Ohio,  but  before  he  reached 
Troy  our  infant  daughter,  Maria  Staughton,  had  died.  This 
was  the  third  daughter  that  we  had  buried  after  we  had  become 
missionaries.  Mrs.  McCoy  returned  to  Carey  on  the  1st  of 
November. 

Some  of  the  Putawatomies  and  Ottawas  of  that  country  had 
some  knowledge  of  the  ceremonies  of  the  Catholic  missionaries, 
who  were  early  in  their  country,  and  of  Catholics,  who  continue 
to  mingle  with  them,  chiefly  for  purposes  of  trade.  Supposing 
it  would  please  us,  they  frequently  told  us  that  they  still  recol 
lected  portions  of  prayers  which  they  had  been  taught,  and  two 
or  three  old  persons  told  us  that  "  they  had  had  water  put  on  their 
faces,"  as  they  expressed  it.  After  preaching  at  the  house  of 
Arnukos,  on  the  17th  of  October,  an  elderly  man  came  and  took 
me  by  the  hand,  by  way  of  acknowledgment  for  the  favour  of 
preaching  to  them,  and  as  he  approached  me  he  crossed  himself 
after  the  fashion  of  the  Catholics. 

October  the  21st.  Our  meeting  for  special  prayer  was  con 
ducted  in  English.  We  were  much  interested  in  the  circum 
stance  of  two  Indian  women  attending  with  us,  though  neither  of 
them  could  understand  what  was  spoken. 

Koessun,  a  war  chief,  presented  us  with  his  war  club,  for  the 
museum  of  the  Columbian  College.  We  also  procured  for  the 
same  purpose  a  few  other  Indian  curiosities.  The  presentation 
of  these  was,  on  their  part,  merely  expressive  of  friendship,  and 
not  of  a  disposition  to  change  the  habits  of  Indian  life.  On 
the  following  day  Amukos,  who,  a  few  days  before,  had  appeared 
averse  to  the  adoption  of  habits  of  civilization,  came  to  inform 
us  that,  upon  reflection,  he  had  determined  to  make  a  house 
and  a  field  the  following  spring.  Another  object  of  his  visit, 
he  said,  was  to  take  his  leave  of  us  before  he  set  out  upon  this 
winter's  hunt.  He  had  intended  to  start  on  the  following  day, 
but,  understanding  that  I  designed  to  preach  to  them  at  their  vil 
lage,  he  had  put  off  his  departure  a  day  longer.  The  observ 
ance  of  the  Sabbath  was  again  enjoined.  He  said  he  had  been 


238 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


talking  to  his  people  upon  the  subject;  and  on  his  inquiring  how 
he  should  recollect  when  it  returned,  I  advised  him  to  cut  a  notch 
on  a  stick  each  day,  and  to  make  a  longer  one  for  the  Sabbath. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  afternoon  worship  was  held  at  the 
bark  hut  of  Mussequagee,  where  our  audience  was  larger  and 
more  attentive  than  usual.  The  little  house  being  too  small  for 
our  accommodation,  we  sat  outside  in  front.  Several  of  the  In 
dian  part  of  our  family,  who  could  not  well  understand  English, 
had  followed  from  our  house  on  foot,  a  distance  of  five  miles. 
Just  as  our  worship  commenced,  two  traders  came  up  hallooing, 
as  is  customary  among  the  Indians  on  approaching  each  other. 
We  had  reason  to  fear  a  serious  interruption  to  the  attention 
of  the  audience,  but,  on  reminding  them  that  no  other  business 
was  of  equal  importance  with  that  in  which  we  were  engaged, 
all  remained  orderly.  On  the  evening  of  that  day  several  of  the 
neighbouring  Indians  attended  our  special  meeting  for  prayer 
and  religious  conversation,  which  took  place  soon  after  evening 
prayers  in  the  family.  The  conclusion  of  these  exercises  was 
pretty  late  in  the  evening,  when,  being  not  a  little  fatigued  with 
the  duties  of  the  day,  I  was  preparing  to  retire ;  but  the  feelings 
of  some  of  the  young  men  in  our  employ,  and  the  zeal  of  the 
missionaries,  induced  them  to  come  into  my  room  to  spend  an 
other  hour  or  two  in  religious  conversation.  At  this  time,  four 
young  men  appeared  to  be  seriously  inquiring  what  they  should 
do  to  be  saved,  and  a  fifth  seemed  also  to  mourn  over  his  sins. 
Such  a  season  of  serious  religious  concern  had  not  before  been 
witnessed  in  the  mission. 

Scarcely  a  day  passed  in  which  Indians  did  not  visit  us,  though 
not  often  on  the  subject  of  religion.  On  the  26th,  two  companies 
of  Ottawas  were  with  us,  from  a  distance  of  one  or  two  hundred 
miles.  On  the  next  day,  when  a  family  of  the  same  tribe  were 
about  to  leave  our  vicinity,  a  young  woman  of  their  company 
requested  to  remain  with  us,  "that  she  might  hear  preaching 
and  learn  our  religion."  She  was  placed  among  our  other  Indi 
an  girls,  to  receive  instruction  in  labour,  as  well  as  in  more  im 
portant  matters. 

On  the  28th,  Cheekeh  came  five  miles,  to  converse  on  the 
subject  of  religion.  After  sitting  some  time  in  a  pensive  mood, 
she*  introduced  conversation  by  asking  "  when  it  would  be 
prayer  day"  (Sabbath.)  She  said  she  was  concerned  for  the 
salvation  of  her  soul,  desired  to  forsake  sin  and  to  be  holy ; 
she  had  been  in  the  habit  of  praying  ever  since  we  had  com 
menced  preaching  to  them  in  their  village  the  preceding  sum 
mer.  She  believed  that  her  brother  and  eldest  son  were  both 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


239 


serious.  On  the  following  Sabbath  she  came  on  foot  to  our 
house  to  worship,  and  brought  with  her  three  of  her  children. 
To  us,  who  had  so  long  mourned  over  the  depravity  of  the 
people  of  our  charge,  these  incidents,  which  would  have 
appeared  of  small  import  in  some  other  places,  were  deeply 
interesting. 

About  this  time  the  institution  was  visited  by  the  second 
special  commissioner  appointed  by  Government  to  examine 
and  report  the  condition  of  our  affairs.  This  commissioner  was 
John  L.  Leib,  Esq.,  of  Detroit.  He  was  accompanied  by  Col. 
Godfrey,  (a  Catholic,)  of  the  same  place,  who,  having  some 
knowledge  of  the  Indian  language,  had  been  appointed  as  a 
suitable  person  to  aid  the  commissioner  in  his  inquiries.  They 
spent  three  days  with  us,  and  departed  from  our  house  on  the 
2d  of  November,  1824.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  Mr. 
Leib's  report  to  Governour  Cass: 
"  To  His  EXCELLENCY  GOVERNOUR  CASS  : 

"  SIR  :  I  have  the  satisfaction  to  inform  your  Excellency, 
that,  agreeably  to  your  appointment  and  instructions,  I  left 
Detroit  the  22d  ultimo,  accompanied  by  Col.  Godfrey,  for  the 
establishment  made  by  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  upon  the 
river  St.  Joseph's,  to  which  society  is  confided  the  expenditures 
of  certain  funds  appropriated  by  the  treaty  of  Chicago  for  agri 
cultural  purposes  among  the  Ottawa  and  Putawatomie  Indians, 
and  beg  leave  to  report  the  following,  as  the  result  of  my  exa 
minations  into  the  situation  and  prospects  of  the  establishment  : 

"  I  arrived  there  early  on  Sunday  morning,  of  the  31st  of 
October;  and  my  appearance  being  unexpected,  everything, 
it  is  presumed,  was  found  in  its  current  state — no  previous  pre 
parations  having  been  made  to  give  a  better  face  to  the  affairs 
of  the  establishment  than  its  ordinary  aspect.  Every  member 
of  the  institution  being  on  this  day  engaged  in  devotional  exer 
cises,  I  could  not  proceed,  until  the  next,  in  my  intended 
examination,  which  was  commenced  with  the  school.  It  is 
composed  of  sixty-three  scholars,  of  both  sexes,  of  various 
ages,  from  childhood  to  manhood.  The  letter  marked  A, 
hereto  annexed,  exhibits  their  ages,  sexes,  &ic.,  and  the  time 
when  they  severally  entered  the  institution. 

"  The  arrangements  of  this  school,  its  order,  and  the  improve 
ment  of  its  pupils,  excited  in  me  delightful  sensations.  To 
behold,  at  the  distance  of  nearly  two  hundred  miles  from  the 
last  habitation  of  civilized  man,  an  institution  arising  out  of  the 
wilderness,  exhibiting  without  cultivated  fields,  and  smiling 
within  with  cheerful  contented  countenances — with  order  and 


240  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

an  admirable  economy — opening  its  portals  to  the  rude  children 
of  the  forest,  and  inviting  them  to  enter,  and  be  made  acquaint 
ed  with  the  benefits  resulting  from  domestic  life — with  letters, 
which  enlarge  the  sphere  of  human  happiness  and  knowledge — 
with  agriculture,  which  dispels  all  fears  of  a  precarious  subsist 
ence — and,  above  all,  with  the  Christian  religion,  which  ensures 
to  those  who  observe  its  commandments  interminable  happiness, 
is  a  spectacle  consoling  to  humanity,  and  in  the  highest  degree 
praiseworthy  in  the  founders  of  it,  and  deserving  of  the  foster 
ing  care  of  a  benevolent  and  enlightened  Government. 

"  I  examined  separately,  with  few  exceptions,  every  pupil, 
both  in  and  out  of  school,  and  found  them  not  only  satisfied, 
but  contented  and  happy  ;  and  was  as  greatly  surprised  at  the 
distinctness  with  which  they  pronounced  English  words  as 
with  their  general  improvement.  The  table  marked  A,  before 
referred  to,  will  indicate  the  various  stages  of  their  advancement 
in  education. 

"  The  bugle  is  sounded  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when 
persons  of  every  description  repair  to  the  school  house,  where 
the  business  of  the  day  is  commenced  with  religious  exercises  ; 
after  which  they  disperse  to  their  various  avocations  until  break 
fast,  which  is  generally  prepared  a  little  after  sunrise.  Besides 
the  Rev.  Mr.  McCoy,  the  superintendent,  and  his  wife,  an  ami 
able  and  excellent  woman,  there  are  three  male  and  one  female 
teachers,  all  of  whom,  from  a  sense  of  their  missionary  obligations, 
devote  themselves,  without  remuneration,  to  the  diversified  la 
bours  of  the  institution  ;  and  one  of  them,  Robert  Simerwell,  is, 
moreover,  a  blacksmith.  There  are  six  men  engaged  in  their 
agricultural  operations,  improving  buildings,  procuring  fire-wood, 
&tc.  There  are  also  five  Indian  women,  who  serve  as  domes 
tics,  one  of  whom  takes  care  of  several  of  the  Indian  children. 
The  boys  and  girls  are  in  separate  classes.  The  latter  are  under 
the  tuition  of  Miss  Goodridge,  a  lady  well  qualified  for  so  ardu 
ous  an  undertaking;  and  which  is  manifested  by  the  improve 
ment  of  the  scholars,  their  great  propriety  of  manners  and 
neatness  of  dress,  but,  above  all,  by  their  attachment  to  her. 
The  male  teachers  are  also  ardently  and  unremittingly  em 
ployed  in  instructing  the  boys  committed  to  their  charge ;  in 
short,  1  never  remember  to  have  witnessed  as  much  order  in  a 
primary  school,  in  which  children  of  all  ages  were  mingled 
together,  as  in  this.  Two  of  the  boys  are  learning,  as  appren 
tices,  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  ;  and  the  others,  who  are  large 
enough,  are  occasionally  occupied  on  the  farm.  All  the  girl?, 
except  three  or  four  who  are  very  young,  can  spin,  knit,  and 


INDIAN   MISSION*. 


241 


sew,  and  go  through  all  the  gradations  of  domestic  service, 
with  as  much  skill  and  facility  as  their  fairer  sisters  of  more  cul 
tivated  life.  Two  of  them  weave  plain  cloth  ;  and  two  hun 
dred  and  ninety-four  yards  of  this  fabric  have  been  manufac 
tured  in  the  loom  of  this  institution  since  February  last.  Noa- 
quett,  or  Luther  Rice,  and  Anthony  Rollo,  have  made  such 
proficiency  in  the  English  language  as  to  enable  them  to  inter 
pret  between  the  missionaries  and  the  Indians;  and  even  reli 
gious  discourses  have  been  explained  to  their  red  brethren,  in 
a  manner  highly  creditable  to  the  boys,  and  satisfactory  to  the 
missionaries.  Luther  Rice,  who  is  not  yet  fifteen  years-  of  age, 
when  he  first  entered  this  institution,  was  wild  from  the  woods, 
acquainted  with  no  language  but  his  native  Indian.  He  is  a 
very  promising  lad,  making  rapid  improvements  in  reading, 
writing,  and  arithmetic,  and  exhibiting  an  inquisitive  mind,  and 
a  strong  desire  for  the  acquisition  of  knowledge. 

"  There  is  a  field  of  fifty  acres  of  cleared  land,  surrounded 
by  a  good  substantial  fence,  forty-four  of  which  was  appropri 
ated  for  Indian  corn  the  past  season,  five  for  oats,  and  one  for 
potatoes.  The  corn  yielded  sixteen  hundred  bushels.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  bushels  of  oats,  and  four  hundred  of  potatoes, 
were  also  the  products  of  this  fifty-acre  field.  There  are 
other  smaller  fields  cleared,  and  enclosed  by  like  substantial 
fences,  comprising,  in  the  whole,  upwards  of  forty  acres.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  bushels  of  turnips  and  one  thousand  heads 
of  cabbages  were  raised,  besides  peas,  beets,  and  other  vege 
table  productions  for  culinary  purposes. 

"  The  site  on  which  the  principal  buildings  are  erected  is 
judiciously  chosen.  In  a  more  enlarged  survey  of  the  future 
prospects  of  this  establishment,  nurtured  by  a  paternal  Govern 
ment,  and  aided  by  the  personal  sacrifices  of  benevolent  mis 
sionaries,  I  beheld  from  this  spot,  consecrated  to  humanity  and 
the  highest  offices  of  our  nature,  the  melioration  of  the  condi 
tion  of  this  neglected  portion  of  our  species ;  redeemed  from 
mental  blindness,  their  eyes  opened  to  "  the  ways  of  pleasant 
ness,"  and  their  steps  directed  in  "  the  paths  of  peace."  I 
beheld  a  colony  firmly  settled,  numerous,  civilized,  and  happy, 
with  every  attendant  blessing  flowing  from  a  well-regulated, 
industrious,  and  religious  community.  I  beheld  also  the  same 
paternal  Government  rejoicing  in  this  successful  experiment, 
exulting  in  the  ample  means  it  has  afforded  for  its  accomplish 
ment,  animated  with  a  new  and  increased  ardour,  pushing  insti 
tutions  of  a  like  nature  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  wilderness. 

"  By  the  annexed  paper,  marked  C,  your  Excellency  wiJl  be 
31 


242 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


informed  of  the  number  and  kind  of  stock,  as  also  of  the  vari 
ous  instruments  of  husbandry,  and  indeed  a  general  enumera 
tion  of  every  species  of  property  belonging  to  the  establish 
ment,  with  its  estimated  value. 

"  The  tribes  surrounding  the  establishment  evidence  a  desire 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  offered  of  making  them 
selves  acquainted  with  letters,  and  religious  and  agricultural 
instructions.  The  school  might  be  enlarged  beyond  the  limits 
of  the  present  means  to  support  it.  A  taste  for  agriculture  is 
already  shown,  and  several  Indian  families,  among  whom  is  a 
chief,  are  now  settled  in  the  neighbourhood,  and,  with  the  assist 
ance  of  the  missionary  brethren,  have  commenced  the  improve 
ment  of  selected  pieces  of  land,  which  have  been  ploughed, 
and  a  few  acres  fenced,  in  a  manner  to  resist  the  intrusions  of 
all  kinds  of  cattle.  Two  log  cabins,  with  like  assistance,  have 
been  erected ;  thus  forming  a  nucleus,  around  which  may  be 
anticipated  a  gradually  growing  settlement.  Indeed,  I  enter 
tain  little  doubt,  that,  with  proper  care  and  protection,  with 
conscientious  agents  to  superintend  and  direct  their  operations, 
the  Indians  may  be  gathered  into  colonies.  But  this  cannot 
be  done  but  in  places  remote  from  white  population,  and  unless 
all  intercourse  with  traders  be  interdicted,  and  particularly 
with  those  unprincipled  men  who,  disregarding  all  legal  and 
moral  restraints,  debase  them  more  and  more,  by  introducing 
among  them  ardent  spirits,  the  bane  of  this  now  unhappy 
people.  The  penalties  for  this  offence  cannot  be  rendered  too 
severe,  and  the  cupidity  of  these  monsters  should  be  repressed 
by  a  superadded  punishment,  which  should  render  them  infa 
mous  upon  conviction. 

"  The  United  States  and  the  people  are  under  the  most 
imperious  obligations  to  preserve  and  protect  the  Indian,  and, 
if  possible,  redeem  him  from  his  savage  state.  A  strange  and 
unaccountable  apathy  has  hitherto  prevailed  on  this  subject ; 
and  while  we  behold  the  philanthropists  of  the  United  States 
enlisting  the  best  feelings  of  the  heart  to  aid  in  improving  the 
condition  of  the  negro,  and  generously  expending  their  treasure 
in  transporting  him  to  climes  and  countries  more  congenial  to 
his  nature,  the  poor  suffering  child  of  the  forest  within  our  pre 
cincts  attracts  but  occasional  and  partial  notice. 

"  I  feel  assured  that  the  hard  fate  of  the  Indian  has  rather 
been  overlooked  than  disregarded.  From  the  kindness  of  your 
Excellency's  nature,  I  know  that  you  would  give  efficacy,  as 
far  as  you  could  give  it,  to  any  plan  that  would  meliorate  the 
condition  of  this  neglected  race.  More  McCoys  and  more  mis- 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


243 


s^onary  societies  may  be  found,  if  funds  were  afforded  them, 
to  lend  their  aid  with  the  same  pious,  unbought  zeal,  which 
planted  this  benevolent,  orderly,  and  promising  establishment 
on  the  St.  Joseph's. 

"  The  Indians'  corn  fields,  as  your  Excellency  well  knows, 
are  enclosed  with  fences  consisting  of  one,  or,  at  most,  of  two 
poles,  fastened  to  small  stakes  with  bark  ties,  about  breast  high 
from  the  ground,  not  at  all  calculated  to  keep  out  swine,  or 
indeed  any  other  unruly  animal.  Hence  the  Indian,  hitherto, 
from  the  nature  of  his  enclosures,  has  been  prevented  from 
raising  hogs,  the  most  prolific  and  useful,  as  regards  subsistence, 
of  all  other  domestic  animals.  I  would,  with  great  deference, 
suggest  to  your  Excellency  the  certain  advantages  which 
would  result  to  him,  by  making  Carey  (for  this  is  the  name  of 
the  establishment  under  consideration)  a  depot  of  hogs  and 
other  cattle,  and  distribute  therefrom,  among  such  settled  Indians 
as  would  erect  fences  sufficiently  strong  to  ensure  the  safety  of 
their  vegetable  productions  from  the  trespasses  of  predatory 
creatures.  And  a  discretionary  power  should  be  vested  in  the 
superintendent  at  Carey,  to  distribute  them  according  to  the 
merits  of  the  party  claiming  them ;  and  the  stock  first  furnished 
should  be  preserved  until  it  should  accumulate  to  an  extent 
adequate  to  the  supply  of  their  wants.  The  necessary  farming 
utensils,  with  suitable  persons  to  direct  agricultural  operations, 
should  be  furnished  from  the  same  depot. 

"  I  feel  thoroughly  convinced,  that,  with  adequate  means 
placed  at  their  disposal,  the  exertions  and  sincere  zeal  of  the 
missionaries  would  produce  the  most  gratifying  results.  A  fair 
experiment  should,  at  all  events,  be  made.  Indeed,  so  fast  are 
distresses  accumulating  upon  the  distressed  Indian,  from  known 
and  obvious  causes,  that  the  time  is  fast  approaching  when  he 
will  perish,  unless  provision  of  some  kind  be  made  to  save  him. 

"  I  should  have  proceeded  to  Grand  river,  had  I  not  learned 
that  the  contemplated  establishment  there  had  not  as  yet  been 
effected.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  great  pains  have  been 
taken  to  prejudice  the  Ottawas  against  any  location  at  Grand 
river,  under  the  direction  of  a  Protestant  association;  and 
they  have  been  made  to  say  that  a  Catholic  establishment  would 
be  welcomed.  It  can  be  easily  conceived  how  this  feeling  has 
been  produced  ;  but  it  cannot  exist  long,  inasmuch  as  a  policy 
has  been  pursued  by  the  superintendent  at  Carey,  by  which 
not  only  the  salutary  purposes  contemplated  by  Government 
will  be  achieved  without  opposition,  but  a  settlement  courted, 
A  temporary  smithery,  the  most  important  of  all  concerns  in 


244 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


the  view  of  the  Indians,  has  been  erected  at  the  river  Keken- 
mazoo,  about  midway  between  St.  Joseph's  and  Grand  rivers, 
at  which  much  work  has  been  done  for  the  Ottawas,  and  some 
for  the  Putawatomies. 

"  The  hands  employed  by  the  Indian  Department  have 
built  for  an  Ottawa  a  considerable  cabin  ;  and,  besides  assisting 
others,  have  made  coal  Jbr  the  smithery  and  hay  for  their 
cattle.  The  superintendent  was  about  to  repair  to  Grand  river 
soon  after  I  left  St.  Joseph's,  with  the  purpose  of  erecting 
buildings  thereat,  suitable  to  the  objects  of  the  intended  insti 
tution.  No  opposition  was  apprehended,  as  the  benefits  derived 
from  the  temporary  smithery  on  Kekenmazoo,  and  the  exten 
sive  usefulness  of  the  establishment  on  the  St.  Joseph's,  made 
many  of  the  Ottawas  desirous  of  a  settlement  for  like  purposes 
in  their  own  neighbourhood. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  assure  your  Excellency  of  the  sincere 
respect  and  unfeigned  regard  of  your  obedient  servant, 

"  JOHN  L.  LEIB." 

At  our  special  evening  conference  meeting  on  the  6th  of 
November,  1824,  Ezekiel  French  and  E.  Clark,  white  men  in 
our  employ,  related  their  religious  exercises  of  mind,  and  satis 
fied  us  that  they  were  believers  in  the  Lord  Jesus.  On  the 
following  day,  immediately  after  preaching,  we  prepared  to  go 
to  the  St.  Joseph's  river,  a  mile  and  a  quarter,  to  administer 
the  ordinance  of  baptism.  Three  large  wagons  and  two  saddle 
horses  were  loaded  with  part  of  our  numerous  family,  the  rest 
went  on  foot.  One  of  our  pupils  and  a  hired  man,  both  indis 
posed,  and  an  old  Indian,  were  the  only  persons  who  remained 
to  keep  the  house.  The  vicinity  of  our  place  had  been  occu 
pied  by  the  Putawatomies  from  time  immemorial.  Formerly 
the  tribe,  then  numerous,  generally  resided  here,  in  one  exten 
sive  settlement.  Many  had  been  buried  on  the  shores  of  the 
St.  Joseph's,  and  in  the  neighbourhood.  These  remarks  are 
made  as  a  clew  to  a  better  understanding  of  the  following  lines, 
which  were  sung  at  the  water,  before  the  administration  of  bap 
tism,  for  which  occasion  they  were  prepared  on  the  morning  of 
that  day : 

Bless'd  morn  which  saw  the  Lord  arise 

Victorious  from  the  grave  ! 
Bless'd  morn  which  now  salutes  our  eyes, 

And  shows  his  power  to  save ! 

Here  long  hath  dwelt  the  wandering  chief, 

While  thousands  roamed  around  ; 
None  sought  the  Lord,  and  no  relief 

From  sin  and  death  was  found. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  245 

But  lo!  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 

Darts  forth  a  gladd'ning  ray 
Through  the  dark  clouds,  which  o'er  the  place 

Spread  gloom  and  wild  dismay. 

There  sleeps  the  warriour  on  the  shore,* 

His  war-club  at  his  side.t 
Lie  still,  red  man,  the  war  is  o'er, 

Which  late  your  weapons  dy'd. 

Yes,  our  Emanuel,  Prince  of  Peace, 

Speaks,  and  the  sinner  hears ; 
There's  smiling  mercy  in  his  face, 

To  dissipate  our  fears. 

Let  the  dense  forest  all  around, 

Which  heard  the  savage  yell. 
This  news,  that  mercy  here  is  found, 

In  joyful  echoes  tell. 

*'Tell  the  wild  man  beneath  your  shade," 

The  news  of  pard'ning  love, 
Till  thousands  in  this  stream  be  laid, 

Who  in  these  deserts  rove. 

This  was  the  first  baptism  administered  in  this  river,  or  on 
the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan.  A  more  suitable  place  could 
not  have  been  desired,  and  there  were  many  associations  of 
thought,  arising  out  of  circumstances  peculiar  to  the  place,  that 
heightened  the  interest  of  the  exercises.  The  ground  was 
lightly  covered  with  snow,  and  we  made  a  fire  on  the  bank  for 
our  comfort.  There,  with  a  kind  of  native  simplicity  that  was 
delightful,  we  praised  the  Lord  who  had  taught  our  souls  to  love 
and  to  obey  ;  but,  most  of  all,  that  which  made  the  place  like 
Jacob's  "  house  of  God  and  gate  of  heaven,"  was  the  deeply 
impressive  and  gracious  presence  of  the  Lord.  Here  were 
some  hearts  filled  with  joy,  and  others  filled  with  grief  for  sin. 
Mr.  Clark  was  not  baptized  until  a  subsequent  day.  Circum 
stances  requiring  the  newly  baptized  person  and  some  others  to 
remain  on  the  ground  longer  than  the  majority  of  the  congrega 
tion,  we  again  gathered  around  our  fire  and  returned  thanks  to 
God  for  his  mercies,  and  sung — 

"  Saviour,  if  of  Zion  city 

I  through  grace  a  member  am, 
Let  the  world  deride  or  pity, 

I  will  glory  in  thy  name. 
Fading  is  the  worldling's  pleasure, 

All  his  boasted  pomp  and  show ; 
Solid  joys  and  lasting  treasure 

None  but  Zion's  children  know,"  &c. 

*  Referring  to  an  adjacent  Indian  burying-ground. 

t  The  weapons  of  the  warriour  are  buried  with  him.     The  Pulawatomies 
have  been  fierce  and  formidable  in  wars  with  the  United  States. 


246 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


Some  of  the  neighbouring  Indians  were  present;  most  of  them 
were  at  this  time  absent  on  their  winter's  hunt — a  circumstance 
which  we  deeply  regretted.  At  night  we  held  religious  exer 
cises  in  the  Indian  language,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  could 
not  understand  English  ;  after  which,  we  spent  some  time  in 
conversing  with  the  penitent. 

November  the  8th.  A  little  Indian  girl  of  our  family  was 
very  tender,  and  expressed  great  desire  to  become  religious. 
On  the  following  day  she  went  to  Miss  Goodridge,  and  said  that 
she  and  one  of  her  associates  desired  to  hear  her  converse  on 
the  subject  of  religion.  The  latter,  in  her  artless  manner,  said 
that  she  was  so  much  troubled  on  account  of  her  sins,  that  she 
could  scarcely  sleep.  After  family  prayers,  we  spent  an  hour 
in  lecturing  and  other  religious  exercises.  The  deep  solemnity 
and  sorrow  depicted  in  the  countenances  of  some,  and  the  hum 
ble  transport  exhibited  by  others,  were  deeply  impressive.  The 
note  in  the  mission  journal  for  that  evening  reads  as  follows  : 
"  About  the  time  of  making  this  note  I  hear  Miss  Goodridge  in 
an  adjoining  room,  talking  and  praying  with  a  number  of  our 
Indian  girls.  Mrs.  McCoy  is  on  the  other  side  of  me,  endea 
vouring  to  comfort  some  mourners ;  Mrs.  Polke  has  a  band 
around  her  in  her  room,  engaged  in  a  similar  way ;  and  Mr. 
Lykins  and  Mr.  Simerwell  are  in  our  house  of  worship  with  a 
considerable  company,  talking  and  telling  of  the  great  things 
which  the  Lord  hath  done  for  them." 

November  the  10th.  Soon  after  evening  prayers  we  again 
assembled,  and  heard  Charles  Polke  and  Jared  Lykins  tell  of 
the  goodness  of  God  in  leading  them  to  repentance  and  to  hope 
in  the  Redeemer;  they  were  received  as  candidates  for  baptism. 
The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  mission  journal : 

"November  llth.  My  two  elder  sons  leave  us  for  Wash 
ington  City,  to  enter  as  students  in  the  Columbian  college.  Three 
Indian  children  are  taken  into  the  school,  making  the  number 
of  scholars  sixty-six.  Scarcely  an  hour  passes  without  religious 
conversation  with  a  penitent  sinner  or  a  happy  Christian.  This 
evening  a  little  Indian  girl  stood  some  time  silent  beside  me 
where  I  was  writing.  At  length  I  asked  her,  do  you  desire  to 
be  religious?  She  answered,  yes.  Do  you  try  to  be  religious? 
Yes,  sir.  Do  you  think  you  will  ever  become  a  Christian  ?  I 
am  afraid  not.  What  is  the  reason  ?  I  am  so  wicksd.  Do 
you  pray?  Yes,  but  there  is  nothing  good  in  my  prayers; 
there  is  nothing  good  within  me  ;  I  never  did  any  thing  good, 

&c.     Do  you  and  your  associates  talk  about  religion  ?     H 

and  I  do.     How  long  have  you  felt  concerned  about  it  ?     Ever 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


247 


since  Miss  Goodridge  talked  to  us  one  night.  Another  little 
Indian  girl  stopped  reading  her  hymn-book,  to  listen  to  our  con 
versation,  and  hid  her  face  and  wept.  An  Indian  boy  is  present. 

J ,  do  you  desire  to  become  a  Christian  ?  Yes,  sir.  Do 

you  boys  ever  talk  about  religion  ?  J — n  and  I  do.  What 
does  J — n  say  ?  (J — n  had  lived  a  while  in  Detroit,  and  had 
been  taught  some  Roman  Catholic  forms.)  J — n  says  he  wants 
to  be  religious,  and  he  intends,  when  he  shall  have  learned  to 
read,  to  go  to  Detroit  and  there  learn  religion. 

"  After  family  prayers,  J called  on  me  again,  with  J — n 

in  company,  and  sat  down  in  silence  beside  me.  Judging  what 
their  business  was,  I  introduced  conversation  by  reading  to  them, 
in  the  September  number  of  the  Latter  Day  Luminary,  Mr. 
Dawson's  account  of  their  penitent  Charles,  among  the  Chero- 
kees ;  after  which,  in  conversation  with  them,  the  boys  wept 
freely.  J — n  said,  I  think  now  that  I  am  not  good  enough  to 
be  saved  ;  meaning  that  he  had  lost  the  hopes  he  had  lately 

drawn  from  his  Catholic  forms.  J- said  he  knew  he  was 

wicked,  and  had  sinned  against  God.  While  I  conversed  with 

them,  my  little  son,C ,  placed  himself  near  us  to  hear,  and 

when  they  retired  I  followed  them  to  the  door  with  my  son. 
We  all  withdrew  from  the  house,  and,  kneeling  down,  a  petition 
specially  for  them  was  put  up  to  God.  The  boys  were  much 
affected,  and  I  said  to  myself,  '  How  sweet  and  awful  is  the  place !' 

"  November  12th,  1824.  Our  evening  lecture  for  the  bene 
fit  of  the  children  was  in  both  Putawatomie  and  English.  An 
thony,  the  young  man  brought  by  rny  sons  from  Fort  Wayne 
in  the  preceding  June,  as  heretofore  noticed,  and  who  had  been 
kept  some  years  from  our  school  by  his  father's  Catholic  preju 
dices,  has  become  very  uneasy,  but  clings  with  desperate  tena 
city  to  Catholic  ceremonies.  I  say  nothing  to  him  in  particular. 
He  expresses  great  uneasiness  of  mind  to  others,  and  says  he 
will  go  to  Detroit  as  soon  as  practicable,  to  consult  his  priests, 
in  the  hope  that  he  can  by  that  means  obtain  happiness  similar 
to  that  apparently  enjoyed  by  others  here.  We  trust  that 
the  Devil  is  too  late  in  this  business,  and  that  Anthony  has 
received  wounds  that  can  only  be  healed  by  the  Balm  of  Gilead. 

"  Another  Catholic,  a  young  man  employed  by  the  Govern 
ment  to  labour  under  our  direction  among  the  Ottawas,  mani 
fests  great  uneasiness  of  mind,  speaks  freely  on  the  subject  of 
his  troubles,  and  appears  to  have  a  just  sense  of  his  sinful,  lost, 
and  helpless  condition  ;  says  he  can  find  no  relief  by  praying ; 
he  cannot  improve  his  condition  ;  all  is  sinful,  &c. 

"  Anthony's  anxiety  becoming  almost  insupportable,  he  placed 


248 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


himself  near  me  for  conversation,  and  spoke  of  his  distress.  He 
perceived  others  happy,  he  said,  in  the  enjoyment  of  their 
religion,  while  he  found  no  happiness  in  his.  He  had  been 
good  once,  but  he  had  lost  it  all.  Formerly,  when  troubled 
about  these  things,  he  obtained  relief  by  praying ;  now  his 
prayers  were  not  followed  by  relief.  Still  he  was  determined 
that  he  never  would  change  his  religion — no  change  ever  should 
take  place  with  him. 

"  He  wept,  and  appeared  to  be  almost  distracted,  seemed 
anxious  to  hear  my  conversation  and  advice,  and  yet  listened 
with  fear  that  he  would  be  convinced  of  something  wrong  in 
what  he  termed  '  his  religion/  While  he  was  deeply  sensible 
that  we  were  his  friends,  he  endeavoured  to  cherish  all  the 
hatred  for  our  religion  that  was  possible  for  a  prejudiced  mind." 

Soon  after  this  he  gave  very  satisfactory  evidence  of  a  saving 
change  of  heart.  His  health  declined,  and  he  was  not  bap 
tized.  He  abandoned  all  his  Catholic  forms  and  hopes,  and 
died  rejoicing  in  salvation  through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
in  confident  expectation  of  a  blessed  eternity. 

It  can  easily  be  conceived  that  Indians  qualified  for  mission 
ary  service  would  be  more  useful  to  their  countrymen  than  white 
missionaries  ;  hence  we  were  exceedingly  anxious  to  promote  in 
them  a  spirit  of  Christian  benevolence,  and,  in  hopeful  cases,  to 
give  a  suitable  direction  to  the  mind  in  education. 

On  the  14th  of  November,  we  introduced  into  public  worship 
hymns  in  the  Indian  language,  sung  to  our  common  congrega 
tional  tunes.  The  success  of  this  experiment  exceeded  our 
expectations.  The  practice  has  been  continued  ever  since,  and 
with  improving  advantages.  A  note  in  the  journal  for  this  day 
reads  as  follows:  "The  spirit  of  religious  inquiry  among  us 
increases.  O,  what  a  blessing  it  is  to  us  to  drink  of  the  stream 
from  the  rock  in  the  wilderness,  and  what  encouragement  to  find 
the  stream  still  rising."  On  Monday,  November  15th,  Eze- 
kiel  Clark,  Charles  Polke,  and  Jared  Lykins,  were  baptized. 
These  were  young  white  men,  who  had  engaged  to  labour  for  us 
for  the  sake  of  wages,  but  who  obtained  a  better  reward.  The 
celebration  of  the  Lord's  supper  on  the  following  Sabbath  was 
an  interesting  season. 

Our  smithery  for  the  Ottawas,  as  before  stated,  was  on  the 
line  between  the  Putawatomies  and  Ottawas.  It  became  ne 
cessary  for  one  of  us  to  visit  it,  and  Mr.  Polke,  who  had  been 
commissioned  teacher  for  that  station,  was  still  absent.  Mr. 
Lykins  was  on  the  eve  of  setting  out  for  that  place,  when  Gosa, 
an  Ottawa,  of  Kekenmazoo,  arrived  with  a  message  which  had 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


249 


been  intrusted  to  him  by  an  Ottawa  of  Grand  river,  earnestly 
requesting  me  to  visit  them.  Gosa  also  brought  us  our  sixty- 
seventh  Indian  scholar. 

I  regretted  the  necessity  of  leaving  home  at  this  time  of 
religious  interest  in  our  family.  But,  taking  our  Putawatomie 
lad,  Noaquett,  for  interpreter,  I  set  out  on  the  24th  of  Novem 
ber,  1824,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Sawyer,  who  was  our  black 
smith,  C.  Mettez,  labourer,  and  Gosa.  Our  horses  swam  across 
the  St.  Joseph's  river,  and  the  night  we  spent  without  a  house. 
In  the  absence  of  our  smith,  the  Indians  had  undertaken  to  work 
at  the  forge,  and  had  fired  and  nearly  burnt  up  the  house.  On 
the  27th,  we  encamped  at  Gun  Lake,  and  on  the  following  day 
had  an  interview  with  Naoqua  Keshuck,  an  Ottawa  chief,  who 
was  encamped,  with  his  family  and  some  others,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  lake.  He  said  he  had  long  desired  to  see  me,  and 
had  sent  the  messenger  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  my  delaying  to 
visit  them.  He  urged  me  to  make  a  settlement  at  his  village, 
at  the  rapids  of  Grand  river,  declaring  that  he  and  some  others 
desired  to  adopt  the  habits  of  civilized  life,  and  would  be  glad 
to  avail  themselves  of  our  assistance.  He  was  anxious  for  the 
establishment  of  a  school  for  the  benefit  of  the  youth,  and 
wished  also  to  hear  preaching.  "  I  am  an  Indian/'  said  he  ; 
"  nevertheless  I  think  of  God,  and  of  religion,  and  had  we  a 
preacher  among  us  perhaps  I  could  become  good."  While  I 
informed  him  what  we  proposed  to  do  for  them,  I  was  deeply 
affected  with  the  fears  he  manifested  that  we,  as  he  said  other 
white  men  had  often  done,  would  deceive  them.  He  desired 
me  to  commit  to  writing  my  proposals,  which  I  did.  He  then 
arose  and  said,  "In  token  of  friendship  I  take  hold  of  your  hand, 
I  take /as*  hold  of  it.  God  sees  us  take  hold  of  each  other's 
hands  and  will  be  witness  against  him  that  shall  deceive." 

We  decamped  on  the  following  day,  November  29th,  and 
proceeded  towards  the  rapids  of  Grand  river.  At  twelve 
o'clock  we  were  joined  by  Noonday,  alias  Naoqua  Keshuck, 
Gosa  having  left  us.  That  night  I  was  violently  attacked  with 
dysentery,  occasioned  by  the  mode  of  living  necessary  on  my 
journey.  I  usually  carried  medicines  with  me,  but  at  this  time 
happening  to  have  none,  the  skill  of  both  Noonday  and  myself 
was  put  in  requisition  in  seeking  vegetable  remedies  in  the 
forest.  I  spent  a  night  of  great  distress.  With  some  abate 
ment  of  pain  1  became  able  to  sit  on  my  horse  the  following 
day,  but  continued  much  indisposed  during  the  remainder  of  the 
tour. 

M^d;  <c> 


250 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


Two  days  later  we  reached  Grand  river,  which  it  was  neces 
sary  we  should  cross.  Noonday  had  two  canoes  hid  in  the 
brush,  smaller  than  I  had  ever  before  seen.  He  brought  one 
on  his  shoulder,  and,  placing  it  in  the  river,  directed  me  to  lie 
down  in  it,  as  in  a  sitting  posture  there  would  be  danger  of  cap 
sizing.  When  I  was  thus  adjusted,  he  said  he  believed  he  could 
get  me  across,  as  I  did  not  appear  to  be  so  heavy  as  a  deer  he  had 
once  taken  over  in  the  same  canoe.  I  spent  the  night  in  camp. 
As  far  as  indisposition  admitted,  and  assisted  by  the  chief,  I 
made  examinations  on  horseback,  for  the  purpose  of  selecting 
a  site  for  our  missionary  station.  Having  marked  out  a  place, 
and  given  the  chief  some  advice  in  relation  to  buildings  and 
fields,  which  he  desired  to  make,  on  the  2d  of  December,  in  a 
rain  which  continued  all  day,  sometimes  mingled  with  snow,  I 
set  out  for  home. 

The  site  selected  was  about  thirty  or  forty  miles  lower  down 
Grand  river  than  the  one  fixed  upon  two  years  before  by  the 
United  States'  commissioner.  I  preferred  the  selection  which 
I  had  made  on  various  accounts.  In  making  it,  I  acted  upon 
my  own  responsibility,  and  I  lost  no  time  in  requesting  Govern- 
our  Cass  to  confirm  the  location  ;  which  he  did,  and  it  was  after 
wards  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  War. 

Many  obstacles  had,  from  the  first,  opposed  the  formation  of 
an  establishment  at  this  place  ;  the  first  of  importance  was  the 
failure  of  the  teacher,  and  the  second  was  the  insidious  attempt 
of  the  man  we  had  employed  in  business  to  supplant  us  ;  and, 
with  our  onerous  cares  at  Carey,  we  should  probably  have 
abandoned  it,  had  not  the  provisions  for  a  school,  &ic.,  at  this 
place  grown  out  of  our  efforts  at  the  Chicago  treaty.  Another 
inducement  to  perseverance  was,  that  by  a  connection  of  the 
two  stations,  under  the  same  superintendency,  our  means  of 
support  might  be  enlarged. 

The  Ottawas,  as  we  have  elsewhere  stated,  being  dissatisfied 
with  the  treaty  of  Chicago,  malicious  white  men  endeavoured 
to  persuade  them  that  our  object  was  to  inveigle  them  into  a 
confirmation  of  that  treaty.  They  were  told  that  we  were  not 
seeking  their  welfare,  but  that  for  the  education  of  their  children 
and  our  other  services  we  would  retain  a  portion  of  their 
annuity  ;  that  their  children  intrusted  to  our  care  would  be 
enslaved,  that  their  burying  places  would  be  violated,  &ic.  A 
fruitful  source  of  these  calumnies,  and  of  our  most  formidable 
difficulties,  was  the  hostility  of  the  Catholic  French,  or  rather 
Canadians,  who  were  almost  the  only  white  people  with  whom 
these  Indians  had  had  much  acquaintance.  One  of  them  at  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


251 


treaty  at  Chicago  had  the  hardihood  to  endeavour  to  supplant 
us  in  relation  to  the  station  on  the  St.  Joseph's,*  and  they  had 
constantly  been  endeavouring  to  acquire  the  occupancy  of  the 
station  among  the  Ottawas  ;  of  this  further  evidence  will  be 
seen  in  an  official  report  of  the  agent  appointed  by  Government 
to  inspect  missionary  stations.  Again,  these  Indians  had  fought 
under  the  British  flag,  and  they  considered  themselves  still  in 
the  British  interest ;  hence  were  occasioned  causeless  jealousies 
and  fears,  which  were  fostered  by  designing  white  men.  The 
distance  from  Carey,  (being  more  than  a  hundred  miles,)  in 
connection  with  our  multifarious  labours,  had  prevented  us  from 
speedily  overcoming  these  prejudices.  When  I  visited  them  in 
1823,  1  could  not  obtain  a  meeting  in  council,  and  Mr.  Polke 
met  with  the  same  reception  in  May  of  the  following  year. 

We  had  located  the  smithery  for  them  temporarily  on  Keken- 
mazoo,  and  on  the  same  half  way  ground  had  erected  a  build 
ing  for  Gosa.  Gradually  we  secured  their  esteem,  so  that  at 
the  time  of  which  we  speak,  three  villages,  embracing  nine 
chiefs,  invited  us  to  settle  among  them.  Had  the  number  of 
missionaries  enabled  us  to  improve  our  acquaintance  with  them 
faster,  the  present  point  would  have  been  sooner  attained  ;  or 
had  the  first  missionary  appointed  teacher  by  Government 
gone  promptly  to  work,  they  would  have  been  kept  free  from 
prejudices. 

Cold  and  disagreeable  as  was  the  day  on  which  we  left  Grand 
river  on  our  return,  and  severe  as  was  my  indisposition,  I  was 
urged  by  Noonday  to  go  considerably  out  of  my  way,  through 
the  wilderness  without  a  road,  to  see  a  salt  spring.  Next, 
amidst  a  perpetual  fall  of  either  rain  or  snow,  we  must  be  shown 
where  the  old  man  had  lately  killed  three  deer ;  for  our  in 
formation,  the  position  of  both  the  hunter  and  the  game  was 
pointed  out,  and  the  bleating  of  the  victims  imitated — all 
which  would  have  been  more  interesting  in  pleasant  weather 
and  in  better  health.  He  afterwards  took  us  to  a  bed  of  gyp 
sum.  A  small  stream  of  water  having  washed  it,  and  produced 
an  unevenness  similar  to  that  made  on  salt  banks  by  animals, 
our  guide  said  it  was  supposed  that  the  spirits  fed  there.  Par 
ticularly  anxious  to  show  himself  kind,  he  informed  me  that  he 
had  concealed  a  kettle  in  the  woods  while  he  was  on  his  win 
ter's  hunt,  which  he  would  allow  our  men  to  use  when  they 
should  commence  the  erection  of  buildings,  &LC.  Indians  have 
no  idea  of  measurement,  and  the  size  of  this  vessel  was  de- 

*  See  page  114. 


252 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


scribed  by  saying  it  would  contain  in  cooking,  six  ducks,  or  three 
racoons.  He  gave  me  the  parting  hand  with  great  apparent 
affection,  saying,  "  If  God  permit  us  to  live,  we  shall  see  each 
other  again." 

Having  no  grain  or  hay,  and  grazing  at  that  season  being  very 
poor,  our  horses  suffered  severely.  Pretty  late  in  the  night  of 
December  4th,  after  a  very  disagreeable  day,  I  arrived  at  Gosa's, 
very  much  fatigued  on  account  of  my  continued  sickness.  I 
urged  Gosa  to  abandon  ardent  spirits,  and  among  other  things  I 
stated  that  with  the  natural  industry  of  himself  and  wife  they 
would  soon  become  very  comfortably  situated.  He  jestingly 
replied,  that  he  had  left  oft  drinking  at  one  time  for  some  months, 
and  that  he  became  poorer  every  day.  I  told  him  that  1  had 
used  tobacco  seven  years,  and  after  becoming  very  fond  of  it 
had  abandoned  it,  because  I  deemed  it  unmanly  not  to  have  the 
mastery  of  myself.  He  said,  the  whiskey  had  not  the  mastery 
of  him,  and,  to  convince  me,  he  would  forbear  drinking  any 
length  of  time  that  I  would  fix.  Leaving  the  matter  to  himself, 
lie  said  he  would  abstain  for  three  years,  and  desired  me  to 
write  the  pledge  and  keep  it,  with  his  signature  affixed.  His 
fidelity  far  exceeded  my  expectation.  He  was  rarely,  if  ever, 
disguised  with  liquor  during  the  three  years,  though  the  habit 
subsequently  increased  upon  him. 

I  employed  Gosa  to  assist  our  blacksmith  and  Frenchman  in 
taking  our  smith's  tools  from  their  present  location  to  the  one  I 
had  selected  at  the  rapids  of  Grand  river.  The  attempt,  how 
ever,  failed,  on  account  of  ice  in  the  waters  which  they  were 
required  to  navigate.  On  the  6th  of  December  we  left  camp 
before  day,  in  order  to  reach  our  home  ;  which  we  did,  after 
swimming  our  famished  horses  across  the  St.  Joseph's  river. 

On  the  7th,  we  received  a  communication  from  Colonel  Mc- 
Kenney,  of  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs,  at  Washington, 
acknowledging  the  receipt  of  our  annual  report.  He  said 
u  the  prosperous  condition  of  the  school  at  Carey  is  very  grati 
fying,"  &c. 

The  board  not  having  found  it  convenient  in  their  prints  to 
take  so  much  notice  of  Indian  colonization  as  I  had  hoped  for 
when  in  Washington,  and  deeming  it,  myself,  one  of  vital  im 
portance  in  our  operations,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Meehan,  edi 
tor  of  the  Columbian  Star,  I  forwarded  a  communication  in  its 
support,  and  regretted  that  I  had  not  time  oftener  to  appear 
before  the  public  in  favour  of  this  benevolent  object. 

The  religious  excitement  in  our  family  continued.  On  the 
12th  of  December  Simeon  French,  another  of  our  hired  white 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


253 


men,  was  baptized,  and  the  Catholic  Frenchman,  before  spoken 
of,  remained  much  agitated.  About  this  time  Mr.  Polke  arrived 
with  a  drove  of  hogs,  intended  for  our  next  year's  consumption. 
Scarcely  had  we  felt  the  satisfaction  of  Mr.  Polke's  arrival, 
after  an  absence  of  nearly  four  months,  before  we  realized  the 
pain  of  a  separation  from  Mr.  Lykins ;  he  left  us  on  the  14th 
of  December,  with  the  expectation  of  being  absent  nine  months 
or  a  year.  Domestic  afflictions  in  his  father's  family  induced 
him  to  obey  a  parental  call,  which  indeed  was  too  urgent  to  be 
resisted.  We  needed  the  services  of  all  our  missionaries,  and 
more  than  all,  and  lamented  the  necessity  which  weakened 
our  force.  I  accompanied  him  a  little  way,  in  order  that  our 
adieus  might  be  alone,  where  we  might  indulge  our  mutual  sym 
pathies,  without  being  reproached  with  childishness.  On  the 
17th,  our  blacksmith,  William  Sawyer,  with  two  labourers  for 
the  Ottawas,  left  Carey,  to  improve  the  station  which  we  had 
recently  selected  on  Grand  river. 

Business  and  cares  crowded  upon  us  so  much,  that,  although 
our  religious  exercises  on  Sabbaths  and  other  days  had  not  been 
neglected,  we  had  not  usually  enjoyed  them  so  well  as  previ 
ously  ;  but  the  26th  was  another  very  comfortable  Sabbath. 
During  worship,  besides  many  others,  one  of  our  pupils,  a  sen 
sible  young  man,  who,  after  a  long  absence,  had  just  returned, 
was  deeply  affected.  On  the  following  Thursday  he  gave  a 
satisfactory  account  of  his  having  experienced  a  work  of  saving 
grace  in  his  soul.  This  was  the  first  conversion  which,  so  far 
as  we  knew,  had  taken  place  among  our  Indian  pupils,  the 
other  Indians  whom  we  had  baptized  not  having  been  members 
of  our  family.  Noaquett,  our  interpreter,  also  showed  signs  of 
repentance.  "  I  once  thought,"  said  he,  "  that  I  was  not  wicked, 
but  since  I  have  heard  you  talk  so  much,  and  have  listened  to 
the  conversation  of  these  young  men  who  have  lately  been  bap 
tized,  I  feel  that  I  am  a  sinner,  and  have  a  sinful  heart,  and  I 
am  sometimes  in  great  trouble  on  account  of  my  sins.  I  once 
thought  well  of  the  French  [Catholic]  religion,  but  I  now  think 
otherwise.  They  kneel  and  pray,  but  1  believe  they  say  over 
their  prayers  as  one  would  recite  a  lesson  committed  to  memory. 
I  believe  there  is  nothing  of  it  here,"  laying  his  hand  on  his 
breast ;  "  and,  on  rising  from  their  knees,  they  indulge  in  all 
common  vices." 

Wednesday,  January  the  12th,  was  a  happy  day  with  us, 
when  our  hearts  were  rejoiced  to  hear  some  declare  what  God 
had  done  for  their  souls.  On  this  day  we  baptized  one  of  our 
female  Indian  pupils,  Henry  Reeder,  our  blacksmith,  and  J.  H. 


254  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

George,  an  elderly  German  employed  as  a  cook,  each  of  whom 
had  given  a  satisfactory  account  of  a  work  of  grace  on  the 
heart.  The  following  appears  in  the  mission  journals  :  "  This 
day  we  have  esteemed  the  most  blessed  that  we  have  experi 
enced  since  we  came  into  the  wilderness."  We  sung  the  fol 
lowing  lines,  as  expressive  of  our  feelings: 

Hail,  exalted  mighty  Saviour ! 

Push  thy  glorious  conquests  on, 
Help  us,  who  enjoy  thy  favour, 

Sing  the  victories  thou  hast  won. 
We  would  praise  thee, 
For  what  sovereign  grace  hath  done. 

E'en  in  this  benighted  nation 

•Smiling  mercy  cheers  the  soul ; 
Here  the  waters  of  salvation, 

Softly  murmuring,  onward  roll. 
Let  thy  praises 
Soon  be  spread  from  pole  to  pole. 

Mingling  here  in  sweet  connection, 

Taught  to  speak  with  divers  tongues — • 

Not  less  different  in  complexion, 
Yet  harmonious  in  our  songs  : 

Sweetly  praising 

Jesus,  though  with  stammering  tongues. 

Help  us,  Lord,  thy  footsteps  tracing, 

Steadily  to  keep  the  road  ; 
Gladly  thy  commands  embracing, 

Pressing  towards  thy  blest  abode. 
Come  yo  with  us 
Mourners,  we  are  going  to  God. 

The  following  day  continued  to  us  rich  blessings.  Devo 
tional  exercises  had  become  the  chief  and  almost  only  business 
of  the  establishment,  Three  of  our  male  Indian  pupils,  who 
had  gladdened  our  hearts  by  their  artless  accounts,  in  broken 
English,  of  their  conversion,  were  baptized,  under  circumstances 
unusually  interesting.  One  of  the  missionaries  wrote  in  the 
journal :  "  I  never  before  felt  so  sensibly  that  the  gracious  pre 
sence  of  God  would  convert  any  place  on  earth  into  a  kind  of 
heaven.  It  seems  that  a  celestial  atmosphere  may  descend  to 
earth,  and  may  be  breathed  and  enjoyed  even  in  this  literal  wil 
derness."  The  father  of  one  of  our  pupils  who  was  baptized 
on  this  day  was  a  Catholic  Frenchman.  The  lad,  after  relating 
to  us  his  Christian  experience,  had  expressed  an  inclination  to 
defer  baptism  until  he  could  ask  his  father's  consent — a  measure 
of  which  we  did  not  disapprove.  Subsequently,  and  before  he 
could  hear  from  his  father,  he  desired  us  to  baptize  him,  express 
ing  a  strong  inclination  to  accompany  into  the  water  an  associate 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


255 


to  whom  he  was  much  attached.  The  day  before  that  on  which 
he  was  baptized,  a  lad  of  about  the  same  age,  or  something 
older,  also  the  son  of  a  Catholic  by  an  Indian  woman,  came  to 
our  house,  and  remained  until  the  evening  of  the  second  day. 
He  said  he  had  been  sent  thither  by  his  father,  to  prevent  the 
baptism  of  the  convert  above  mentioned.  This  Catholic  youth 
was  permitted  free  access  to  the  company  of  our  Indian  youths, 
as  he  had  been  on  former  visits,  and  he  appeared  faithful  to  his 
unhallowed  trust.  He  endeavoured,  by  sneers  and  all  that  he 
could  say  among  them,  to  induce  them  to  decline  baptism. 
Some  of  his  remarks  were  very  cutting  to  our  young  converts, 
but  they  all  remained  firm.  Two  days  later  a  Catholic  trader 
called  at  our  house  and  complained  of  the  baptism  of  the  Catho 
lic  lad  alluded  to.  We  found  it  easy  to  silence  his  lips,  but  had 
no  hope  that  we  had  changed  his  heart. 

The  journals  record  the  16th  of  January,  1825,  as  "  the 
most  sweet,  solemn,  blessed  sacramental  occasion  that  had  been 
realized  by  the  missionaries."  The  satisfaction  of  sitting  down 
to  the  communion  table  with  Indian  youths  whom  we  had  gath 
ered  from  among  the  ruins  of  savage  life,  was  indeed  like  an 
Elijah's  rneal,  served  up  in  the  wilderness  by  an  angel  of  God. 
Our  meetings  for  conversation,  prayer,  and  praise,  were  fre 
quent  ;  and  we  had,  pretty  soon  after  the  commencement  of  this 
revival,  introduced  special  ones,  for  the  benefit  of  such  as  were 
inquiring  what  they  should  do  to  be  saved.  They  were  not 
held  in  our  place  of  public  worship,  and  all  who  chose  were 
permitted  to  attend.  The  meeting  on  this  sacramental  day  was 
more  fully  attended  than  usual.  Two  others  of  our  Indian  lads 
satisfied  us  of  their  conversion;  one  of  them  becoming  favoured1 
with  very  comfortable  evidence  that  his  sins  had  been  forgiven, 
and  feeling  anxious  to  talk  about  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  diffident 
in  our  presence,  retired,  and  communicated  the  news  of  salva 
tion  to  a  company  of  his  school-fellows,  one  of  whom,  a  boy, 

came  in  and  informed  us,  in  his  broken  English,  "  N been 

down  yonder  talking  to  de  boys ;  he  say  he  feel  very  well." 
He  was  sent  for,  and  found  to  be  in  a  joyous  frame  of  mind. 
"  I  want  to  talk,"  said  he ;  "  I  don't  care  if  de  house  full  of 

people.  I  feel  happy  ;  I  never  feel  so  happy  before " 

He  described  the  sensation  of  mind,  on  first  obtaining  a  hope, 
as  follows :  "  My  heart  seem  all  de  time  to  go  up  to  God,  and 
whenever  I  walk  I  think  God  see  me,  and  sometimes  seem  like 
he  come  very  close," 

The  father  of  the  other  lad  was  a  Catholic  Frenchman. 
After  the  youth  had  become  anxious  for  the  salvation  of  his 


256 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


soul,  he  conferred  with  us,  and  wrote  to  his  father,  asking  per 
mission  to  be  baptized  if  we  should  deem  him  worthy.  He  had 
not,  however,  patience  to  wait  for  an  answer  from  his  father, 
who  resided  a  hundred  miles  off.  On  Monday,  January  17th, 
the  mercury  standing  at  only  ten  degrees  above  zero,  we  repaired 
a  sixth  time  to  the  river,  and  baptized  three  of  our  male  and  one 
of  our  female  Indian  youths. 

About  this  time  our  Indian  converts  were  in  the  habit  of 
uniting,  two  or  three,  or  more,  in  private  prayer;  sometimes 
they  would  invite  their  fellows,  who  had  not  experienced  reli 
gion,  to  accompany  them.  This  was  particularly  gratifying  to 
the  pilgrim  missionaries.  "  O,  how  delightful  it  is,"  said  they, 
"  to  think  of  these  poor  red  youths  thus  bending  on  the  frozen 
earth  and  snow,  sheltered  from  human  sight  by  the  sable  curtain 
of  night,  and  in  the  very  forests  in  which  they  lately  roamed 
like  beasts,  now  imploring  the  mercy  of  God  on  themselves  and 
associates  and  kindred !" 

They  also  held  evening  prayer  meetings  among  themselves, 
On  these  occasions  one  who  was  most  competent ,  would  read 
and  expound  the  Scriptures  to  such  as  could  not  understand 
English.  We  had,  as  before  stated,  taken  into  our  family  a  re 
spectable  Putawatomie  woman,  who  assisted  in  taking  care  of 
some  of  our  smaller  pupils,  and  who,  being  extensively  known 
and  respected  among  her  people,  was  of  great  advantage  in  cor 
recting  any  dissatisfaction  they  might  feel  in  relation  to  our 
treatment  of  their  children.  She,  too,  after  coming  to  reside 
with  us,  had  been  led  to  seek  the  salvation  of  her  soul,  and  on 
the  20th  of  January  she  was  baptized,  together  with  a  Puta 
watomie  boy,  both  of  whom  gave  a  very  satisfactory  account  of 
their  being  adopted  into  the  family  of  heaven.  On  the  25th, 
another  of  our  male  Indian  pupils  was  baptized. 

While  we  were  greatly  favoured  with  religious  enjoyment, 
and  employed  all  the  time  in  religious  exercises  that  a  due 
regard  to  our  necessities  allowed,  we  were  compelled  to  be  bur 
dened  with  many  secular  cares.  Sensible  that  the  temporal 
condition  of  the  people  of  our  charge  ought  not  to  be  over 
looked,  if  we  would  hope  for  extensive  and  lasting  religious  im 
provement  among  them  as  a  nation,  our  favourite  scheme  of  a 
colony  in  the  West  bore  with  constant  weight  upon  our  minds. 
It  was  the  13th  of  January  before  we  received  the  annual 
message  of  Mr.  Monroe,  to  Congress.  We  were  exceedingly 
gratified  to  find  in  this  document  a  reference  to  the  subject  of 
colonizing  in  accordance  with  our  wishes.  We  copied  the  part 
containing  it  into  our  journal,  as  an  important  historic  fact,  and 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


257 


one  upon  which  we,  and  others  who  should  come  after  us, 
might  look  back  with  peculiar  satisfaction.  The  following  is  an 
extract  from  the  message  : 

"  The  condition  of  the  aborigines  within  our  limits,  and 
especially  of  those  within  the  limits  of  any  of  the  States,  merits, 
particular  attention.  Experience  has  shown  that  unless  the 
tribes  be  civilized  they  can  never  be  incorporated  into  our  sys 
tem,  in  any  form  whatever.  It  has  likewise  shown  that  in  the 
regular  augmentation  of  our  population,  with  the  extension  of 
our  settlements,  their  situation  will  become  deplorable,  if  their 
existence  is  not  menaced.  Some  well  digested  plan,  which  will 
rescue  them  from  such  calamities,  is  due  to  their  rights,  to  the 
rights  of  humanity,  and  to  the  honour  of  the  nation.  Their 
civilization  is  indispensable  to  their  safety.  Difficulties  of  the 
most  serious  character  present  themselves  to  the  attainment  of 
this  very  desirable  result  on  the  territory  on  which  they  now 
reside.  Between  the  limits  of  our  present  States  and  Territo 
ries,  and  the  Rocky  mountains  and  Mexico,  there  is  a  vast 
territory  to  which  they  might  be  invited,  with  inducements  which 
might  be  successful.  It  is  thought  if  that  territory  should  be 
divided  into  districts,  by  previous  agreement  with  the  tribes  now 
residing  there,  and  civil  government  be  established  there  in 
each,  with  schools  for  every  branch  of  instruction  in  literature 
and  the  arts  of  civilized  life,  that  all  the  tribes  now  within  our 
limits  might  be  gradually  drawn  there.  It  is  doubted  whether 
any  other  plan  would  be  more  likely  to  succeed." 

On  the  17th  of  December,  1824,  in  the  same  Congress  to 
which  the  aforementioned  message  had  been  communicated,  Mr. 
Conway,  Delegate  from  the  Territory  of  Arkansas,  offered  in 
the  House  of  Representatives  the  following  resolution,  which 
was  adopted  :  "  Resolved,  That  the  Committee  on  Indian 
Affairs  be  instructed  to  inquire  into  the  expediency  of  organiz 
ing  all  the  territory  of  the  United  States  lying  west  of  the 
State  of  Missouri  and  Territories  of  Arkansas  and  Michigan 
into  a  separate  territory,  to  be  occupied  exclusively  by  Indians^ 
and  of  authorizing  the  President  of  the  United  States  to  adopt 
such  measures  as  he  may  think  best,  to  colonize  all  the  Indians 
of  the  present  States  and  Territories  permanently  within  the 
same." 

Of  the  President's  message  from  which  the  foregoing  extract 
is  made,  and  of  the  bill  before  Congress  which  grew  out  of  the 
above  resolution,  we  had  the  honour  to  receive  twenty  copies, 
forwarded  to  us  from  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs 

By  the  unnecessary  extent  of  territory  proposed  for  the  Indi- 
33 


258 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


an  colony  by  the  foregoing  resolution,  it  will  be  perceived  that 
either  very  crude  Hotions  of  the  subject  existed  at  that  time, 
or  that  principles  were  involved  not  necessary  to  the  welfare  of 
the  Indians.  Nevertheless,  the  favourable  notice  of  the  sub 
ject  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  early  atten 
tion  to  ^t  by  Congress,  were  very  gratifying  indications  of  a 
successful  issue. 

It  became  necessary  for  me  to  make  a  journey  to  Ohio, 
which  was  commenced  on  the  27th  of  January,  and  terminated 
on  the  19th  of  February.  This  journey,  lying  through  a  wil 
derness  of  nearly  two  hundred  miles,  at  an  inclement  season  of 
the  year,  was  attended  with  the  usual  privations.  Within  this 
time  two  more  Indian  scholars  had  been  added  to  our  family, 
which  increased  the  number  to  seventy. 

When,  on  the  17th  of  December,  1824,  our  blacksmith  and 
two  labourers  left  Carey  to  improve  the  Thomas  station,  we  re 
gretted  that  they  should,  at  that  interesting  time,  be  separated 
from  their  religious  associates,  and  be  placed  in  the  wilderness, 
where  they  could  not  enjoy  the  advantages  of  religious  instruc 
tion.  In  February,  1825,  we  were  gratified  to  learn  from  the 
smith,  who  visited  us  on  business,  that  much  seriousness  had  at 
tended  the  little  company  in  the  desert.  They  had  daily  united 
in  prayers,  the  smith  professed  to  have  received  the  spirit  of 
adoption,  and  the  other  two  were  serious.  The  company  had 
suffered  for  want  of  provision ;  on  hearing  of  which  Mr.  Polke 
sent  them  supplies,  on  horseback.  On  the  27th  of  February 
the  smith  and  a  Putawatomie  young  man,  resident  in  our  family, 
were  baptized. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Narrow  escape  from  a  murderer.  Improving  condition  of  the 
Ottawas.  Improvements  of  the  Putaivatomies.  Baptisms. 
Paralyzing  effects  of  ardent  spirits.  Preparation  of  Indi 
an  youths  for  superior  usefulness.  They  enter  the  Baptist 
Theological  Institution  at  Hamilton,  New-York.  Indian 
festival.  Resignation  of  missionaries.  Condition  of  the 
school,  fyc.  Arrival  of  missionaries.  Efforts  to  promote  co 
lonization.  Effects  of  intemperance.  Cattle  furnished  the 
Ottawas.  Measures  of  the  board  in  reference  to  missionaries. 

On  the  10th  of  March,  1825,  Mr  Polke,  with  the  blacksmith, 
an  Indian  apprentice  to  the  blacksmith's  business,  and  a  labourer, 
set  out  in  a  periogue  for  our  station  on  Grand  river.  On  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


259 


way  he  availed  himself  of  the  assistance  of  our  Ottawa  friend, 
Gosa.  He  found  a  majority  of  the  Ottawas  well  disposed 
towards  the  mission,  and  the  prospects  of  its  usefulness  very 
pleasing.  At  the  same  time,  some  malicious  persons  had  resolved 
on  breaking  up  the  establishment.  From  time  immemorial  the 
rapids  of  Grand  river  had  been  a  place  of  great  resort  in  the 
spring,  on  account  of  the  facility  with  which  fish  could  be  taken  ; 
and,  in  accordance  with  this  custom,  many  were  now  encamped 
there.  A  council  having  been  proposed,  the  opposers  of  the 
mission  delayed,  with  the  design  that  Mr.  Polke  should  leave 
for  the  St.  Joseph's  before  it  should  be  convened.  These  men 
had  brought  whiskey  on  the  ground,  to  aid  in  making  disturb 
ance.  All,  however,  appeared  friendly  towards  Mr.  Polke, 
except  one,  who  as  we  afterwards  learned,  had  previously  medi 
tated  mischief.  Mr.  Polke,  in  his  journal,  says  :  "  I  had  been 
requested  by  some  of  the  Indians  to  remain  at  the  place  another 
day,  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  have  a  council.  I  was  unde 
cided,  when  a  circumstance  occurred  which  induced  me  to 
remain,  and  which  circumstance  evinced  that  life  is  in  the  hands 
of  the  Lord,  and  that '  not  a  single  shaft  can  hit  till  the  God  of 
love  sees  fit.' 

"  Many  Indians  near  our  house  were  in  a  state  of  intoxica 
tion.  The  blacksmith,  our  apprentice,  and  Gosa,  were  on  the 
margin  of  the  river,  while  I  was  standing  on  the  river  bank,  near 
our  door,  looking  at  some  canoes  of  fishermen  in  the  river,  when 
more  noise  than  usual  occurred  in  an  Indian  carnp  near.  At 
this  instant  the  fishermen  in  the  canoes,  who  could  perceive 
what  was  going  on  in  the  camp,  hallooed  lustily  to  us  on  the 
bank.  I  could  not  understand  them;  but  Gosa,  who  understood 
them,  rushed  up  the  river  bank  towards  me.  On  turning  my 
eyes  towards  the  camp,  I  discovered  an  Indian  running  towards 
me  with  a  gun  in  his  hand.  I  apprehended  that  his  intention 
was  to  shoot  me,  and  I  resolved  that  as  he  raised  his  gun  to  fire, 
I  would  endeavour  to  save  myself  by  a  sudden  leap  down  the 
bank.  He  approached  within  about  fifteen  yards,  when  he 
abruptly  halted  to  fire.  In  the  attempt  to  raise  his  gun  he  was 
seized  by  Gosa.  The  fellow  made  a  violent  effort  to  accom 
plish  his  purpose.  The  Indian  apprentice  boy  came  to  Gosa's 
assistance,  and  they  disarmed  the  wicked  man,  who  was  taken 
away  by  some  of  the  people  of  his  camp." 

About  the  1st  of  December,  previous  to  the  time  of  which 
we  have  been  speaking,  an  old  Indian  chief  was  detained  at  the 
mission  house  a  few  days  by  indisposition.  Mr.  Lykins  and  Mr. 
Simerwell  were  the  only  male  missionaries  at  the  establishment 


260 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


at  that  time.  They  improved  the  opportunity  of  imparting 
religious  instruction  to  the  old  man.  In  February  lie  returned 
to  our  house,  and  immediately  inquired  for  Mr.  Lykins  and  Mr. 
Simerwell,  saying,  he  desired  to  converse  with  them  on  the 
subject  of  religion.  He  had  been  made  to  hope  in  Christ,  and 
gave  an  account  of  his  religious  exercises  of  mind  so  satis 
factory  that  we  gave  him  the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  In  his 
case  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  allow  a  little  time  before  his 
baptism,  for  him  to  manifest"  fruits  meet  for  repentance."  He 
was  baptized  on  the  20th  of  March. 

About  ninety  persons  now  daily  fed  at  our  table.  To  pro 
cure  the  means  of  support  for  so  many  persons,  especially  at  a 
distance  so  remote  from  the  settlements  of  civilized  man,  occa 
sioned  no  little  labour  and  anxiety.  Early  in  November  the 
board  had  been  informed  that  we  should  find  it  difficult  to  get 
through  the  winter  without  some  pecuniary  assistance.  It  was 
the  10th  of  March  following  before  we  received  an  answer  to 
this  communication,  and  then  we  were  only  authorized  to  draw 
for  an  allowance  which  passed  to  us  through  their  hands  from 
Government,  on  account  of  buildings  erected  at  Carey.  These 
buildings  had  been  produced  by  the  personal  exertions;  of  the 
missionaries,  without  taking  any  thing  therefor  from  the  actual 
funds  of  the  board  ;  and  having  reported  them  according  to  a 
regulation  of  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs,  we  were 
allowed  two-thirds  of  the  cost  of  their  erection.  It  was  this 
sum  only  which  the  board  at  this  time  made  available  to  us. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  1825,  Mr.  Simervvell  and  Miss  F. 
Goodridge,  two  of  cur  missionaries,  were  united  in  marriage. 
On  the  21st  of  April  Mrs.  Polke  set  out  for  Indiana.  Her  jour 
ney  led  her  about  two  hundred  miles  through  a  wilderness,  in 
which  Mr.  Polke  accompanied  her  two  days,  when  she  pro 
ceeded  with  suitable  company.  Mr.  Polke  was  returning  alone, 
and  being  obliged  to  encamp  in  the  wilderness  one  night,  his 
horse  escaped,  and  left  him  to  prosecute  his  journey  on  foot. 
This  he  found  fatiguing,  being  under  the  necessity  of  carrying 
his  saddle  and  other  travelling  apparatus  ;  but  he  chose  to  endure 
the  fatigue,  rather  than,  by  leaving  it  in  the  wilderness,  to  run 
the  risk  of  losing  it. 

A  Putawatomie  southwest  of  us,  notorious  for  the  many 
murders  he  had  committed,  had  rendered  himself  so  odious  to 
his  people,  that  on  the  occurrence  of  the  last  crime,  which  was 
the  murder  of  an  Ottawa,  they  resolved  to  surrender  him  to  that 
tribe,  to  be  put  to  death  according  to  Indian  custom  of  retaliation. 
On  the  26th  of  April,  a  company  of  Ottawas  called  at  our  house, 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  261 

and  intimated  their  intention  to  proceed  to  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  offender,  and  despatch  him.  We  discovered  at  once  that 
angry  feelings  between  the  two  tribes  would  probably  thus  be 
engendered,  notwithstanding  the  willingness  manifested  by  the 
Putawatomies  to  surrender  the  murderer,  and  that  the  loss  of 
many  more  lives  might  be  the  result.  We  therefore  dissuaded 
them  from  their  purpose,  and  were  gratified  when  they  acqui 
esced  in  the  measures  of  forbearance  which  we  proposed. 
They  then  requested  us  to  communicate  to  the  Ottawas  near 
Chicago,  through  Dr.  Wolcott,  United  States'  agent,  their  desire 
that  every  thing  like  hostility  should  be  for  the  present  post 
poned.  They  also  requested  us  to  write  to  Governour  Cass  on 
the  subject,  and^obtain  his  counsel.  This  circumstance  shows 
how  easy  it  would  be,  in  most  instances,  to  prevent  hostilities  be 
tween  the  tribes,  and  also  between  the  tribes  and  the  citizens  of 
the  United  States,  by  suitable  advice  from  men  in  whom  the 
Indians  place  confidence. 

On  the  17th  of  May,  Mr.  Polke  returned  from  another  visit 
to  Grand  river.  He  found  the  Indians  friendly;  many  ex 
pressed  regret  that  he  had  been  insulted  on  a  previous  visit, 
and  hoped  nothing  of  the  kind  would  again  occur.  Even  the 
man  who  had  made  an  attempt  upon  his  life  had  since  that 
time  indicated  a  disposition  to  conciliate  those  connected  with 
the  mission.  Mr.  Polke  also  found  a  favourable  attention  to 
public  religious  exercises,  which  he  had  the  happiness  of  per 
forming  while  at  the  station.  Our  blacksmith  and  the  two 
workmen  for  the  Ottawas  were  labouring  to  great  advantage  for 
those  people.  Improvements  in  the  erection  of  dwellings,  in 
the  making  of  fence,  and  in  ploughing,  were  advancing.  The 
Indians  themselves  were  becoming  animated  with  their  pros 
pects  of  better  condition,  and  began  to  labour  with  their  own 
hands  much  more  than  they  had  previously  done.  We  stated 
to  them  that  Government  had  placed  under  our  control  only 
two  white  men,  to  labour  for  them.  These  could  do  but  little, 
compared  with  the  amount  of  labour  needed  by  the  neighbour 
hood.  They  must  therefore  take  hold  themselves.  If,  for 
instance,  they  could  not  manage  a  plough  and  oxen  themselves, 
let  them  furnish  a  man  to  work  with  one  of  the  labourers,  and 
by  this  means  they  would  learn  to  manage  the  plough  and 
oxen,  and  two  ploughs  instead  of  one  could  be  kept  constantly 
moving  by  the  two  labourers.  To  two  families  we  had  loaned 
milch  cows,  for  their  encouragement.  These  Ottawas  also 
expressed  a  desire  to  avail  themselves  of  the  advantages  of 
schools,  and  solicited  the  establishment  of  one  among  them  as 


262 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


soon  as  practicable,  which  we  assured  them  should  be  done. 
Three  children  had  been  sent  by  them,  from  Grand  river,  to  our 
school  at  Carey. 

This  had  become  a  busy  season.  Our  Putawatomies,  on  their 
return  to  our  neighbourhood  after  their  regular  winter's  ramble, 
or,  as  we  more  commonly  say,  ivinter's  hunt,  resolved  to  im 
prove  their  condition,  by  making  fields  and  houses,  and  by  the 
raising  of  live  stock.  They  sought  for  eligible  situations  for 
farms,  and  for  implements  with  which  to  labour.  In  those 
things  their  applications  to  us  for  advice  and  assistance  were 
almost  incessant.  We  went  with  them  to  make  locations,  and 
to  give  advice  in  regard  to  the  nature  and  extent  of  improve 
ments  which  ought  to  be  undertaken.  Ploughs,  hoes,  and  axes, 
were  needed,  far  beyond  what  our  smithery  could  furnish,  and 
it  was  affecting  to  see  them  digging  up  the  bushes  with  an 
axe  instead  of  a  grubbing  hoe.  Both  men  and  women  wrought 
in  making  improvements.  For  their  encouragement,  we  sent 
our  male  Indian  pupils  to  aid  them,  and  sometimes  our  own 
hired  white  labourers.  Our  teams  were  also  employed  for 
them  whenever  they  could  be  spared  from  our  own  farm. 

Previous  to  this  time,  scarcely  a  rail  for  a  fence  was  found 
among  the  Putawatomies.  Often  their  small  patches  of  corn 
were  not  enclosed  at  all ;  and,  when  enclosed,  it  was  with  a 
temporary  fence  of  brush,  or  one  formed  by  inserting  stakes  in 
the  earth,  to  which  a  tier  or  two  of  poles  were  tied  horizontally 
with  strings  of  bark.  Now  they  commenced  to  make  rails  at 
different  places,  and  to  build  their  houses  of  wood  instead  of 
bark.  Topenebe,  the  principal  chief  of  the  Putawatomies, 
and  almost  all  the  people  of  his  settlement,  removed  from  the 
north  side  of  St.  Joseph's  river,  and  settled  near  us  on  the 
south.  More  than  thirty  families  in  our  neighbourhood  were 
improving  more  or  less  rapidly,  and  were  now  enabled  to  keep 
live  stock,  which,  while  their  fields  were  unfenced,  it  was  use 
less  to  attempt. 

As  the  number  of  our  family  increased,  it  was  necessary  to 
enlarge  our  means  of  support.  We  had  now  upwards  of  two 
hundred  acres,  most  of  it  pasture  land,  enclosed  by  good  fence  ; 
thirty  acres  were  planted  in  corn,  and  a  few  acres  in  culinary 
vegetables.  We  knew  that,  as  the  rapid  approach  of  the  white 
settlements  would  soon  compel  the  Indians  to  recede,  our  resi 
dence  there  could  not  be  permanent ;  and,  taught  by  necessity 
to  exert  our  utmost  to  support  the  mission,  we  employed  all  the 
means  within  our  power  to  enhance  the  real  value  of  the  farm, 
for  which  we  expected  to  be  paid  by  the  Government  of  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


263 


United  States,  on  our  removal.  We  early  planted  peach  seed, 
and  now  had  an  orchard  of  two  or  three  hundred  trees.  By 
searching  in  the  brush,  about  deserted  Indian  villages  and 
trading  houses,  we  found  here  and  there  a  few  young  apple 
trees,  which  perhaps  had  grown  from  seed  accidentally  cast ; 
these  we  transplanted,  and  ultimately  had  nearly  one  hundred 
apple  trees  growing.  We  were  also  at  this  time  erecting  a 
flouring  mill,  to  operate  by  horse  power,  there  being  none 
within  one  hundred  and  ninety  miles.  We  had  made  a  small 
mill  with  materials  obtained  in  our  neighbourhood,  which  was 
turned  by  hand.  One  strong  man  at  this  constantly  was  able 
barely  to  make  meal,  of  a  poor  quality,  sufficient  for  bread,  of 
Indian  corn.  Wheat  flour  could  not  be  manufactured.  A  mill 
of  similar  construction  was  put  into  operation  at  Grand  river. 

About  the  1st  of  June,  1825,  we  were  favoured  with  the 
receipt,  by  our  wagon  from  the  white  settlements,  of  sundry 
articles  much  needed  at  the  establishment,  among  which  were 
several  boxes  of  clothing  for  our  Indian  pupils.  About  the 
same  time,  similar  supplies  arrived  by  way  of  Lake  Michigan. 
These  articles,  which  were  forwarded  by  benevolent  persons  in 
different  parts  of  the  United  States,  were  favours  which  pre 
ferred  strong  claims  on  our  gratitude ;  and  they  were  the  more 
highly  esteemed  by  us  on  account  of  the  heavy  charge  of  pro 
viding  for  the  comfort  of  so  large  a  family.  We  were  also 
sometimes  pleased  and  affected  to  overhear  our  Indian  converts, 
in  their  prayer  meetings  held  among  themselves,  returning 
thanks  to  God  for  giving  them  favour  with  good  people  at  a 
distance,  and  whose  faces  they  had  never  seen,  and  invoking  on 
them  the  benediction  of  Heaven. 

On  the  Lord's  day,  June  12th,  Joseph  Bay,  another  of  our 
hired  white  men,  was  baptized ;  and  on  the  Tuesday  following 
we  baptized  an  Indian  woman  resident  in  the  neighbourhood. 
Her  husband  at  first  opposed  her  pretensions  to  religion ;  and 
when  she  first  intimated  a  desire  to  be  baptized,  he  declared  that 
the  act  should  cause  their  separation.  She  very  prudently  for 
bore  any  thing  that  would  provoke  his  dislike  to  religion,  and 
not  many  weeks  elapsed  before  he  cheerfully  consented  that 
she  might  be  baptized.  He  was  severely  indisposed  at  the 
time,  and  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  attend  the  baptism  of 
his  wife.  We  conveyed  him  to  the  river  in  a  carriage,  where 
he  witnessed  the  administration  of  the  ordinance  as  he  lay  in 
his  bed. 

This  summer  we  harvested  about  three  hundred  bushels  of 
wheat,  and  no  longer  felt  fears  of  suffering  for  bread.  Favoured 


264 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


with  the  conversion  of  many  young  men  whom  we  had  employed 
at  different  times  as  labourers,  and  still  more  highly  favoured  with 
the  conversion  to  godliness  of  many  of  our  pupils  and  some 
other  Indians — with  our  school  prosperous,  and  our  Indian 
neighbours  animated  by  the  encouragement  we  had  given  them, 
and  becoming  industrious,  erecting  dwellings,  making  fields, 
and  raising  live  stock — with  their  numbers  near  us  increasing 
by  new  settlements,  our  mission  appeared  to  be  really  prosper 
ous  ;  and  with  our  work  prospering  in  our  hands  by  the  blessing 
of  God,  we  felt  ourselves  more  than  repaid  for  all  our  toils  and 
sufferings.  We  were,  however,  continually  haunted  with  the 
painful  reflection  that  the  Indians  would  soon,  be  driven  from 
this  place  by  the  ingress  of  white  population. 

Our  location  was  so  remote  from  the  settlements  of  white 
people  when  we  first  made  it,  and  the  inconveniences  of  reach 
ing  and  residing  at  it  so  great,  that  we  hoped,  at  that  time,  to 
be  able  to  push  forward  the  work  of  civilization  to  a  state  not 
much  liable  to  injury  by  the  proximity  of  white  population, 
before  we  should  be  crowded  by  it.  In  this  we  were  disap 
pointed.  The  Indian  title  to  land  had  been  extinguished  on 
the  north  of  the  St.  Joseph's  river,  to  a  distance  of  not  more 
than  one  mile  from  us.  Our  settlement  in  that  country  attracted 
the  notice  of  people  who  are  fond  of  being  on  the  frontiers  of 
civilization,  and  our  road  led  them  to  our  neighbourhood.  The 
first  was  a  man  from  Indiana,  who  came  on  foot  and  alone  to 
our  house ;  he  made  a  settlement  as  near  as  the  claims  of  the 
Indians  would  allow,  and  for  some  time  after  his  arrival  was 
much  dependant  on  us  for  subsistence.  Having,  however, 
erected  for  himself  a  little  hut  on  the  north  bank  of  the  St. 
Joseph's,  and  laid  in  a  small  stock  of  bread  and  meat,  he  pro 
cured  a  barrel  of  whiskey,  and  commenced  retailing  it  to  the 
Indians,  without  regard  to  our  entreaties  to  desist. 

It  was  in  this  same  memorable  spring  of  1825,  when  our 
business,  both  of  a  religious  and  of  a  secular  character,  at  the 
institution  and  in  the  neighbourhood,  was  prospering  pleasingly, 
that  the  evil  practice  of  vending  liquor  to  the  Indians  increased 
to  an  alarming  degree.  Some  of  our  Indian  converts  were  en 
snared,  and  became  intoxicated.  Our  religious  meetings  were 
interrupted ;  our  Indian  neighbours  were  induced  to  neglect 
their  fields  and  other  improvements,  which  they  had  begun  un 
der  favourable  circumstances ;  and  sometimes  even  the  clothing 
and  bedding  of  our  pupils  would  be  purloined  by  neighbouring 
Indians,  and  exchanged  at  these  whiskey  houses  for  ardent 
spirits. 


INDIAN    MISSION?. 


265 


We  increased  our  efforts  to  oppose  the  growing  evil.  We 
not  only  prayed  and  preached,  reasoned  and  remonstrated,  but 
we  exerted  all  the  authority  among  the  Indians  that  we  could 
venture  to  exercise.  With  the  design  of  destroying  their  whis 
key,  I  on  one  occasion  went,  with  two  young  me»  of  our  family, 
to  the  new  settlement  formed  near  our  place  by  Topenebe,  the 
principal  chief,  and  his  party,  where  we  found  the  inhabitants 
engaged  in  a  horrid  bacchanalian  revel.  After  searching  among 
them  awhile,  I  found  a  keg  of  spirits-,  but  I  had  scarcely  taken 
hold  on  it  before  it  was  seized  by  the  drinking  Indians,  and  I 
was  under  the  necessity  of  leaving  it  in  their  possession.  On 
all  occasions  they  would  admit  the  reasonableness  of  our  remon 
strances,  and  would  make  fair  promises  of  reformation,  but,  when 
tempted  to  drink,  they  had  not  fortitude  to  resist.  For  some 
months  the  struggle  between  the  influence  of  the  mission  and 
the  blighting  effects  of  white  settlements,  which  rapidly  increased 
around  us,  was  obstinate.  But,  to  our  great  mortification  and 
grief,  we  perceived  the  adversary  of  our  hopes  acquiring  strength 
and  ultimately  getting  the  ascendancy. 

These  accumulating  difficulties  admonished  us,  in  language 
not  to  be  misunderstood,  that  it  was  necessary  to  urge  by  all 
possible  means  the  colonizing  of  the  Indians,  in  a  country  from 
which  they  could  not  be  forced  by  a  white  population,  and  in 
which  the  state  of  society  among  them  might  become  so  much 
improved,  before  they  would  be  pressed  by  people  of  clashing 
interests,  or  be  dragged  into  the  vortex  of  ruin  by  whiskey  sel 
lers,  as  to  render  their  protection  practicable. 

As  a  measure  preparatory  to  the  success  of  the  scheme  of  a 
colony,  we  deemed  it  our  duty  to  endeavour  to  fit  for  enlarged 
usefulness  some  of  our  most  hopeful  Indian  pupils.  Nothing 
could  be  more  evident  than  that  in  both  civil  and  religious  mat 
ters,  Indians  with  suitable  qualifications  could  be  more  useful 
than  white  men  among  their  countrymen.  Indian  language  being 
their  mother  tongue,  and  being  by  kindred  identified  with  Indians, 
their  opportunities  of  usefulness  would  surpass  those  of  strangers. 
We  were  allowed  the  peculiar  felicity  of  church-fellowship  with 
a  considerable  number  of  our  Indian  pupils,  and  from  among 
them  we  proposed  to  make  a  selection  of  some  who  appeared 
to  possess  the  most  promising  talents,  whom  we  would  endeav 
our  to  qualify  for  superiour  usefulness. 

At  that  time  we  supposed  that  the  Columbian  College,  in  the 

city  of  Washington,  and  which  was  under  the  management  of 

the  same  society  which  patronised  our  mission,  partook  so  largely 

of  the  character  of  a  missionary  institution,  that  it  would  be  ap- 

34 


266 


HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 


propriate  and  convenient  for  our  select  Indian  youths  to  complete 
their  education  there.  Indeed,  we  supposed  that  the  college 
concern  would  feel  itself  honoured  by  the  presence  of  our  Indian 
youths,  and  would  esteem  it  a  privilege  to  gratify  us  in  this  matter. 
Accordingly  we  wrote  a  lengthy  letter  on  this  subject  to  the 
Corresponding  Secretary,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Staughton.  Our  views, 
hopes,  and  prospects,  in  relation  to  this  matter,  may  be  inferred 
from  the  following  extracts  from  our  letter: 

"July  11, 1825. 

"R.EV.  AND  DEAR  BROTHER:  I  beg  leave,  respectfully,  to 
solicit  the  attention  of  the  board  to  a  matter  of  more  than  ordi 
nary  interest  to  us. 

"  Of  the  natives  who  have  united  with  our  church  by  baptism, 
upon  a  hopeful  profession  of  faith  in  Christ,  seven  male  youths 
who  belong  to  our  school  ought,  we  believe,  to  be  allowed  more 
than  an  ordinary  education.  Could  not  the  board  provide  them 
a  situation  in  the  Columbian  College  ?  and  could  not  one  of 
them,  after  spending  some  time  in  your  preparatory  school,  be 
allowed  to  learn  the  art  of  printing  ? 

"  Many  considerations,  enforced  by  actual  observation,  leave 
us  no  hope  for  the  national  salvation  of  the  Indians,  except  in 
anticipation  of  an  Indian  colony  in  the  West.  For  this  we 
hope — we  pray — we  labour.  Should  a  colony  be  established, 
Indians  of  piety  and  attainments  qualifying  them  for  usefulness 
in  the  different  departments  of  the  state,  of  the  schools,  and  of 
the  church,  will  be  wanted  to  give  tone  to  a  rising  community. 
So  soon  as  practicable,  the  colony  ought  to  be  supplied  with  men 
of  their  own  nation,  capable  of  managing  all  their  own  business. 
This  none  will  doubt.  Our  denomination  is  not  prepared  to 
send  one  single  Indian  thither  capable,  of  filling  the  place  of 
magistrate,  capable  of  teaching  a  respectable  school,  and  much 
less  capable  of  defending  from  the  pulpit  the  doctrines  of  the 
Gospel. 

"  Labour  is  bestowed  upon  ungodly  youths,  under  some  pro 
bability  that  those  labours  will  be  lost.  We  do  not  pray  you  to 
take  such  under  your  patronage.  Wt  will  keep  those  knotty 
sticks  here,  and  will  smooth  them  as  we  can.  But  God  has 
blessed  us  with  seven  hopeful  Indian  youths,  who  give  evidence 
of  genuine  piety,  and  some  of  whom,  at  least,  feel  strong  de 
sires  to  be  useful  to  their  less  fortunate  countrymen,  whose  lan 
guage  they  speak,  and  with  whose  manners  and  customs  and 
wretchedness  they  are  well  acquainted.  These  youths  we  en 
treat  you  to  take  into  the  Columbian  College,  and  to  favour 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


267 


wkh  such  advantages  as  your  wisdom  and  goodness  may  pre 
scribe.  Should  God  smile  on  these  efforts,  the  youths  may,  on 
the  completion  of  their  several  courses,  return  with  your  pray 
ers  to  the  forests,  and  sound  the  jubilant  trump  to  theif  despair 
ing  kindred. 

"We  feel  a  strong  confidence  that  nothing  more  would  be 
wanting  than  a  representation  of  the  case  by  the  board,  to  induce 
the  President  of  the  United  States  to  meet  the  whole  expense 
of  their  situation  in  your  institution,  and  possibly  that  of  con 
veying  them  to  it,  out  of  the  ten  thousand  dollars  annual  appro 
priation  for  purposes  of  Indian  reform.  We  believe  that  the 
number  being  considerable,  would  attract  greater  attention  from 
the  Secretary  of  War,  and  excite  more  interest  than  if  we  were 
to  offer  you  only  one  or  two,  and  that  on  this  account  the  aid 
that  would  be  obtained  in  support  of  those  students  would  be 
more  than  in  proportion  to  their  numbers.  But,  if  all  cannot 
obtain  situations  in  your  excellent  institution,  can  you  not  make 
room  for  some  of  them  ?  But,  O,  how  can  we  separate  them  ! 
To  which  of  the  seven  must  we  say,  you  cannot  gol  My 
heart,  my  eyes  are  affected  by  this  thought,  and  I  persuade 
myself  that  a  secret  whisper  says,  Heaven  will  smile  propitious 
upon  this  our  humble  petition  to  you. 

"  We  need  not  say  a  word  on  the  propriety  of  preparing 
natives  for  ministers,  missionaries,  school  masters,  civil  officers, 
&c.;  of  this  you  are  fully  aware;  but  I  entreat  you  to  allow  us 
to  ask,  have  missionaries  among  the  aborigines  of  our  country 
ever  been  able  to  offer  to  their  patrons  a  more  acceptable  remu 
neration  for  their  deliberations,  instructions,  and  expenditures, 
a  more  precious  boon,  than  that  which  your  servants  now  beg 
leave  to  send  home  to  you  from  the  missionary  field,  in  the 
persons  of  these  Indian  youths  ?  We  venture,  further,  and  ask 
when  and  where  in  any  of  the  missionary  fields  on  earth,  did 
Providence  exhibit  stronger,  more  affecting,  or  more  interesting 
claims  on  the  philanthropy  of  a  missionary  society,  than  in  this 
case  upon  yours?  But,  we  correct  the  sentiment  just  now  ex 
pressed  ;  we  will  not  say  we  offer  them  to  you ;  they  are  your 
own  pupils,  fruit  of  your  own  labours,  the  gift  of  God.  To  us 
is  reserved  only  the  pleasure  of  reporting  them  ready  to  be 
promoted  by  your  charities. 

"  We  may  be  mistaken  in  relation  to  the  state  of  the  college 
as  affording  room  for  these  Indian  lads,  yet  we  trust  '  there  is 
room,'  and  we  feel  a  full  conviction  that  their  names  would  not 
disgrace  your  catalogue,  or  in  any  way  detract  from  the  charac 
ter  of  your  institution.  The  boys  are  willing  and  anxious  to 


268 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


go.     We  beg  leave  to  tell  you  their  names,  and  to  state  their 
ages,  condition,  &c. 

"  We  are  sorry  that  these  youths  are  not  further  advanced  in 
their  studies.  Yet,  considering  the  state  in  which  they  came  to 
us,  the  time  they  have  been  with  us,  and  the  portion  of  that 
time  which  has  been  spent  in  manual  labour,  we  are  not 
ashamed  of  their  acquirements. 

"  Were  it  our  province  to  petition  Government  in  behalf  of 
these  youths,  we  would  call  up  to  consideration  the  condition  of 
the  tribes  to  which  they  are  related.  The  Cherokeesand  others 
in  the  South  are  in  a  manner  a  civilized  people.  They  have 
been  advancing  in  habits  of  civilized  life  more  than  thirty  years. 
They  have  their  mills,  machinery,  looms,  farms,  houses,  wagons, 
ploughs,  &c.  But  these  tribes  are  almost  wholly  destitute  of 
such  things.  It  is  with  humble  gratitude  to  our  God,  yet  with 
boldness  before  men,  that  we  say  that  these  tribes  have  received 
their  first  impressions  favourable  to  civilization  since  the  com 
mencement  of  this  mission,  and,  even  at  this  time,  the  number 
of  houses  of  better  materials  than  bark,  the  amount  of  fencing 
on  farms,  and  the  number  of  cattle  and  hogs,  are  exceedingly 
small.  Not  a  spinning  wheel  or  loom  is  owned  by  one  of  them, 
and,  in  a  word,  a  large  majority  of  them  are  as  far  from  what 
they  ought  to  be  as  any  Indians  were  when  the  whites  first  set 
foot  on  the  American  shores,  and  even  further.  These  tribes 
were  engaged  in  the  hostilities  of  the  last  war.  They  are 
generally  poor  and  wretched  to  a  proverb,  and  with  slight  ex 
ceptions  their  sufferings  are  daily  increasing  ;  consequently,  their 
prejudices  against  the  whites  run  high,  aggravated  by  a  thou 
sand  considerations.  We  suppose,  therefore,  that  from  the  ideas 
which  these  facts  naturally  associate  in  the  mind,  our  Govern 
ment  would  be  pleased  with  the  opportunity  of  aiding  these 
youths  in  the  acquisition  of  useful  knowledge,  who  may  live  to 
light  up  and  cherish  the  lamp  of  existence  of  their  expiring 
tribes. 

"  Until  we  shall  be  allowed  the  pleasure  of  hearing  from  the 
board,  we  shall  aid  the  youths  in  their  studies  all  that  we  possi 
bly  can,  and  this  we  shall  do  in  the  hope  that  before  the  begin 
ning  of  the  next  year  they  will  be  under  better  instructers. 

"  We  can  offer  no  better  apology  for  troubling  you  with  a 
letter  so  long,  than  the  deep  solicitude  we  feel  for  the  success  of 
our  application. 

"  Faithfully,  your  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

"  ISAAC  McCoy." 
"  J?et>.  Dr.  Staughlon,  Corresponding  Secretary." 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


269 


In  order  to  present  our  story  in  relation  to  these  Indian  youths, 
to  our  readers,  unbroken,  we  shall  be  obliged  to  leave  behind 
many  incidents  which,  in  the  order  of  time,  claim  priority. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  1825,  we  were  informed  by  the 
Rev.  Luther  Rice  that  a  committee  of  the  board  of  missions 
had  been  appointed  to  wait  on  the  Secretary  of  War,  to  solicit 
pecuniary  aid  for  the  support  of  the  Indian  youths  in  the  Co 
lumbian  College.  From  this  circumstance  we  inferred  that  the 
board  was  favourable  to  our  design  of  educating  them  in  the 
higher  branches.  And  in  another  letter,  afterwards,  Mr.  Rice 
informed  us  that  he  thought  some  help  might  be  obtained  from 
Government.  Nevertheless,  fearing  a  disappointment  ultimately, 
we  endeavoured  to  find  a  place  for  the  youths  elsewhere,  should 
they  not  be  taken  into  that  institution.  On  the  25th  of  No 
vember  we  wrote  to  the  Rev.  Daniel  Hascall,  a  principal  in  the 
Baptist  Theological  Institution  at  Hamilton,  New- York  ;  Rev. 
J.  Chaplain,  D.  D.,  President  of  Waterville  College,  Maine  ; 
Rev.  Francis  Wayland,  Jr.,  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  Rev. 
S.  H.  Cone,  of  the  city  of  New- York,  inquiring  for  a  place, 
and  suing  for  favour  for  our  Indian  youths,  in  event  that  they 
should  not  be  received  into  the  Columbian  College.  From  the 
Rev.  D.  Hascall,  of  Hamilton,  New- York,  I  received  an  an 
swer  that  five  of  our  Indian  youths  could  find  places  in  the 
institution  of  that  place,  if  we  could  not  provide  for  them  else 
where. 

Up  to  the  16th  of  January,  1826,  we  had  heard  nothing 
from  the  board  officially,  in  reply  to  our  pressing  request  of  the 
preceding  July.  We  attached  so  much  importance  to  the  edu 
cation  of  these  youths,  that  we  conjectured  others  would  view 
the  subject  somewhat  in  the  same  light,  and  that  a  place  could 
be  found  for  them  somewhere,  and  therefore  we  had  been  pre 
paring  to  take  them  abroad.  We  could  not  well  abandon  the 
undertaking,  without  great  disappointment  and  discouragement 
to  the  Indians,  and  a  considerable  diminution  of  our  influence. 
We  were  therefore  resolved  on  proceeding  in  the  scheme,  be 
lieving  that  we  should  be  able  to  obtain  from  Government  some 
pecuniary  aid  towards  their  education. 

We  were  destitute  of  funds  to  procure  the  necessary  outfit 
for  the  journey  to  Washington,  or  to  meet  the  expenses  of 
travelling.  We  sent  to  Detroit  for  some  money  due  us  from 
Government  for  our  salaries,  but,  it  not  being  ready  for  delivery, 
were  disappointed  in  its  receipt.  We  were  compelled,  there 
fore,  to  start  from  home  without  money,  in  the  hope  of  borrow 
ing  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 


270 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


Gosa,  our  Ottawa  friend,  desired  to  accompany  us,  and  I 
deemed  it  expedient  to  consent.  Among  the  several  motives 
which  influenced  me,  one  was  that  he  might  see  how  the  boys 
would  be  situated,  and  might  report  to  his  people,  to  prevent 
any  dissatisfaction,  through  the  influence  of  mischievous  white 
men.  We  resolved  on  taking  the  seven  who  had  long  been 
candidates,  and  all  of  whom  were  members  of  the  Church. 
Through  S.  Hannah,  Esq.,  of  Fort  Wayne,  I  had  made  arrange 
ments  for  another  to  be  placed  in  charge  of  a  Presbyterian 
friend  in  New-Jersey,  by  the  name  of  Holsey.  I  therefore 
took  in  company  another  young  man  of  our  family,  who  was 
not  a  professor  of  religion. 

With  these  eight  Indian  youths  and  Gosa,  I  left  Carey  on 
the  16th  of  January,  18*26.  Want  of  means  to  enable  us  suit 
ably  to  prepare,  subjected  us  to  a  good  deal  of  inconvenience. 
Some  others  from  our  place  were  going  to  Ohio,  making  our 
company,  in  all,  fifteen.  We  were  nine  days  getting  through 
the  wilderness,  to  Troy,  Ohio.  There  was  snow  on  the  ground, 
and  the  weather  exceedingly  cold  ;  the  mercury  on  the  last  day 
sinking  six  degrees  below  zero.  Here  1  stopped  the  young 
men,  while  tailors  could  prepare  clothing  for  them.  Horses, 
saddles,  &c.,  had  also,  to  some  extent,  to  be  obtained  here. 
All  this  outfit  I  obtained  upon  credit.  In  the  meantime  I  pro 
ceeded  to  Dayton,  and  borrowed  of  my  friend,  Mr.  Phillips, 
money  to  bear  the  travelling  expenses  of  our  journey. 

Anxiety,  fatigue,  and  exposure,  threw  me  into  a  fever,  and  for 
three  days  we  had  reason  to  fear  that  our  enterprise  would  fail, 
on  account  of  my  indisposition.  I  was  hardly  able  to  sit  upon 
my  horse  on  the  13th  of  February,  when  we  proceeded  on  our 
journey.  On  the  ninth  day  following,  as  we  passed  Wheeling, 
Virginia,  I  met  a  letter  from  Mr.  Rice,  informing  me  that  the 
board  of  missions  had  directed  that  we  take  the  boys  to  what 
was  denominated  the  Choctaw  Academy,  in  the  State  of  Ken 
tucky.  He  stated  that  "  this  course  would  satisfy  the  board,  but 
no  other  would."  To  have  complied  with  these  orders  would 
have  required  us  to  retrace  our  steps  through  Ohio.  1  was  un 
willing  to  turn  back,  and  the  boys  insisted  that  if  I  did  not  pro 
ceed  I  should  take  them  back  to  Carey.  I  thought  the  board 
ought  not  to  have  made  their  decision  without  consulting  the 
views  of  the  missionaries  relative  to  the  eligibility  of  the  loca 
tion  they  had  chosen  for  them.  We  wished  well  to  the  Choc- 
taw  Academy,  which  belonged  to  Colonel  R.  M.  Johnson,  but 
at  the  same  time  we  did  not  believe  that  the  opportunities  to  be 
enjoyed  at  that  institution  would  be  superiour  to  those  of  our 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  27  1 

own.  We  therefore  proceeded  on  our  journey.  Thirty-six 
miles  further  we  found  a  letter  from  Dr.  Staughton,  still  direct 
ing  us  to  turn  back  to  Kentucky;  and  in  Hagerstown,  Maryland, 
I  received  another  letter  from  Mr.  Rice,  to  the  same  effect. 

I  obtained  board  and  lodgings  for  some  of  the  young  men  in 
Cumberland,  Maryland,  while,  with  Gosa  and  Noaquett,  I  pro 
ceeded  to  Washington.  It  is  due  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Staugh 
ton,  and  to  his  son-in-law,  the  Rev.  S.  W.  Lynd,  who  was  also 
a  member  of  the  board,  to  say  that  they  had  strenuously  op 
posed  the  measure  of  turning  me  back  with  my  Indians  to 
Kentucky. 

My  own  two  sons  were  at  this  time  students  in  the  Columbian 
College.  Some  members  of  the  board  having  intimated  that 
inconvenience  might  arise  out  of  the  circumstance  of  the  admis 
sion  of  Indians  into  the  college,  the  students,  on  hearing  of 
it,  unanimously  joined  in  a  petition  to  the  faculty  in  favour  of 
their  admission.  Understanding,  afterwards,  that  want  of  funds 
might  be  the  principal  objection  with  the  board  to  the  admission 
of  the  boys,  the  students  were  preparing  to  make  a  subscription 
for  the  purpose  of  introducing  at  least  one,  two,  or  three  of 
them.  It  was  ascertained,  however,  that  none  could  be  admitted. 

We  obtained  from  Government  the  promise  of  one  hundred 
dollars  a  year  towards  the  support  of  each,  seven  hundred  dollars 
annually  for  the  whole  ;  and  I  returned  to  Cumberland,  rejoined 
the  party  I  had  left  there,,  and  conducted  them  across  the  country, 
a  journey  of  eleven  days,  to  Hamilton,  New- York.  Here  we 
were  welcomed  by  the  Rev.  N.  Kendrick,  D.  D.,  President,  and 
all  others  of  the  faculty,  and  by  the  students  and  the  people  of 
that  neighbourhood. 

The  young  men  found  places  in  this  institution,  and  as  the  an 
nual  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars  each,  for  their  expenses,  was  too 
little,  the  deficiency  was  made  up  by  the  liberality  of  the  Chris 
tian  community  which  surrounded  the  institution.  To  the  wants 
of  the  youths,  those  connected  with  the  institution  paid  unre 
mitting  attention  during  several  years  that  they  were  students, 
and  gratitude  to  all  concerned,  especially  to  Dr.  Kendrick  and 
Mr.  Hascall,  are  deeply  impressed  upon  the  missionaries,  as  well 
as  upon  the  immediate  recipients  of  their  favours.  No  doubt, 
Heaven  approved  and  will  reward  the  kind  attentions  which 
these  Indian  boys  received  while  at  Hamilton.  The  expenses 
of  this  undertaking  had  not  been  incurred  at  the  cost  of  the 
board. 

Believing,  as  before  mentioned,  that  Indians  suitably  qualified 
could  render  more  service  to  their  barbarous  and  wicked  coun- 


272  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

trymen  than  whites,  we  rejoiced  that  success  had  attended  our 
efforts  in  relation  to  the  young  men  of  whom  we  have  spoken. 
At  the  same  time  we  deemed  it  important  that  some  of  the  In 
dian  females  should  also  enjoy  advantages  not  accessible  at  a 
missionary  station  in  the  wilderness,  where  all  must  receive  at 
tention  alike.  Under  these  impressions,  we  wrote  the  board  of 
missions,  November  21,  1825,  on  the  subject  of  affording  supe- 
riour  opportunities  to  two  Indian  females  in  the  mission  family, 
one  of  whom  was  pious.  We  asked  in  a  direct  manner  nothing 
more  of  the  board  than  their  approbation  thus  to  extend  the 
opportunities  of  education  of  these  females,  provided  we  could 
do  it  without  cost  to  the  board.  We  argued  that  we  hoped, 
ere  long,  to  see  the  Indians  permanently  located  in  a  country  of 
their  own,  and  under  an  independent  Government.  That  high 
schools  for  the  advantage  of  the  males  would  be  established, 
and  that  the  present  was  a  favourable  opportunity  for  qualifying 
some  females  for  the  management  of  female  academies.  We  at 
the  same  time  requested  the  board  to  propose  the  plan  of  a  female 
literary  institution,  and  to  petition  the  Government  for  its  patron 
age.  Matters  of  this  kind  would  necessarily  move  on  so  slow, 
that  were  the  board  to  enter  upon  it  immediately,  it  was  not 
probable  that  they  would  be  in  readiness  to  employ  teachers 
before  we  should  have  some  prepared  for  employment.  We 
also  brought  the  subject  of  female  education  to  the  considera 
tion  of  several  of  our  correspondents.  But  our  designs  were 
not  much  favoured,  either  by  the  board  of  missions  or  our  cor 
respondents.  We  did,  however,  find  an  opportunity  of  sending 
two  of  the  female  pupils,  upon  our  own  responsibilities,  to  a 
school  in  Ohio  a  few  wreeks. 

We  have  always  found  it  difficult  to  persuade  our  correspon 
dents  among  the  white  people,  that  the  Indians  were  naturally 
like  all  other  human  beings,  and  that  the  same  means  which 
were  necessary  to  improve  society  among  the  whites,  were  ne 
cessary  among  the  Indians. 

If  we  would  form  a  correct  opinion  of  a  people,  we  must  notice 
small  matters  as  well  as  great..,  .We  must  contemplate  them  as 
they  are  at  home.  In  the  summer  of  1825,  I  attended  an  In 
dian  festival,  which,  according  to  custom,  they  accompanied  with 
dancing.  These  festivals  professedly  partake  of  a  religious 
character,  but  in  reality  it  seems  otherwise.  Different  festivals 
have  appropriate  names.  The  seasons  for  some  occur  regularly, 
but  most  of  them  are  occasional,  as  circumstances  are  supposed 
to  suggest  or  to  require  them.  That  which  occurred  at  this 
was  one  at  which  singular  feats  of  legerdemain,  such  as 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


273 


taking  meat  out  of  a  boiling  pot  with  their  naked  hand,  drinking 
boiling  hot  broth,  eating  fire,  &c.,  are  attempted.  Some  igno 
rant  whites  who  have  mingled  with  Indians,  have  reported  that 
the  latter  were  very  dexterous  in  these  feats,  but  we  have  never 
seen  any  thing  of  the  kind  attempted  among  them  that  was  not 
very  clumsily  performed. 

On  the  present  occasion,  a  little  tobacco  prepared  for  the  pipe 
was  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  hall,  on  the  bottom  of  a  new 
moccasin,  (Indian  shoe,)  with  a  small  bundle  of  cedar  sticks, 
resembling  candle  matches.  Three  large  kettles  of  meat,  pre 
viously  boiled,  were  hanging  over  a  small  fire  near  the  centre  of 
the  house. 

The  aged  chief,  Topenebe,  led  in  the  ceremonies.  He  de 
livered  a  speech  of  considerable  length,  without  rising  from  his 
seat,  with  a  grave  countenance,  and  his  eyes  almost  closed.  He 
then  sat  and  drummed  with  one  stick,  and  sung  at  the  same 
time,  while  his  aid  at  his  side  rattled  the  gourd.  At  length,  four 
women  appeared  before  him  and  danced.  A  while  after  this 
he  arose,  delivered  another  speech,  then  drumming  and  dancing, 
turned  round,  and  moving  slowly  around  the  dancing  hall,  was 
followed  by  all  the  dancing  party.  When  he  had  performed 
his  part  in  leading,  others  went  through  the  same  ceremonies ; 
and  these  were  repeated  until  every  pair  had  twice  led  in  the 
dance.  These  exercises  were  accompanied  with  many  uncouth 
gestures  and  strange  noises.  Occasionally  a  man  would  stoop 
to  the  kettle  and  drink  a  little  soup.  One  fellow,  assuming  a 
frantic  air,  attended  with  whooping,  lifted  out  of  a  kettle  a  deer's 
head,  and  holding  it  by  the  two  horns,  with  the  nose  from  him, 
presented  it  first  upwards,  and  afterwards  towards  many  of  the 
bystanders,  as  he  danced  around,  hallooing.  The  droppings  of 
the  broth  were  rather  an  improvement  to  the  floor  than  an 
injury,  it  being  the  earth,  and  now  becoming  pretty  dusty.  At 
length  he  tore  asunder  the  deer's  head,  and  distributed  it  to 
others,  and  what  was  eatable  was  devoured  with  affected 
avidity. 

At  the  conclusion,  which  was  after  sun  setting,  each  brought 
his  or  her  vessel,  and  received  a  portion  of  the  food.  Chebass, 
a  chief,  sent  to  me  and  invited  me  to  eat  with  him ;  and  I  having 
consented,  he  placed  his  bowl  on  the  earth  beside  me  and  said, 
"  come,  let  us  eat  in  friendship."  The  same  dish  contained 
both  meat  and  soup.  The  chief  took  hold  of  the  meat  in  one 
hand,  and  with  a  knife  in  the  other  severed  his  piece,  and  1  fol 
lowed  his  example.  After  eating,  another  speech  was  delivered, 
the  music  followed,  all  joined  in  a  dance  with  increased  hilarity, 

35 


274 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


and  most  of  them  with  their  kettles  of  meat  and  broth  in  their 
hands,  and  at  length  breaking  off,  each  went  to  his  home. 

On  the  21st  of  April,  1825,  Mrs.  Polke  left  Carey,  on  a  visit 
to  Indiana  and  Kentucky,  as  has  been  previously  stated.  Being 
the  mother  of  a  numerous  family  of  promising  children,  and  a 
justly  esteemed  relation  and  acquaintance  in  an  extensive  circle, 
it  was  not  surprising  that  she  should  be  led  to  doubt  the  propri 
ety  of  continuing  in  the  missionary  field.  Similar  views  were 
realized  by  Mr.  Polke  himself.  Their  reasons  for  retiring  from 
missionary  labours  were  too  plausible  to  be  opposed  by  the 
other  missionaries,  notwithstanding  we  greatly  needed  more 
help.  Mr.  Polke  made  his  resignation  to  the  board  on  the 
24lh  of  June,  and  on  the  21st  of  July  took  his  leave  of  us  at 
Carey.  On  parting,  we  gave  to  them,  and  they  to  us,  written 
assurances  of  friendship  and  esteem.  Through  life,  Mr.  Polke's 
talents  and  piety  had  made  him  prominent  in  both  civil  and  reli 
gious  society,  and  it  was  our  prayer  that  the  evening  of  the 
lives  of  our  brother  and  sister  should  continue  tranquil  and 
happy. 

Four  days  after  the  departure  of  Mr.  Polke,  Mr.  Lykins  ar 
rived,  after  an  absence  of  more  than  seven  months.  He  was 
appointed  by  Government  teacher  for  the  Ottawas,  in  the  place 
Mr.  Polke  had  filled.  This  was  the  third  appointment  made 
for  that  station,  at  my  request,  in  a  period  so  short  that  it  was 
natural  to  feel  a  little  mortification  in  the  repetitions  of  those 
requests. 

Settlements  of  white  people  were  at  this  time  rapidly  multi 
plying  near  us,  attended  with  ruinous  effects  upon  the  Indians. 
We  resolved  to  double  our  diligence  to  prevent  a  deterioration 
among  those  around  us.  Mr.  Simerwell,  Mr.  Lykins,  and  my 
self,  alternately  made  tours  of  several  days  at  a  time  among  the 
villages,  for  the  purpose  of  imparting  religious  instruction,  and 
of  promoting  habits  of  industry.  We  were  almost  invariably 
treated  respectfully,  but  the  devil  and  whiskey  sellers  appeared 
to  pull  down  faster  than  we  could  build  up;  we  therefore  urged 
with  increased  zeal  every  measure  which  we  thought  would  pro 
mote  a  settlement  of  the  Indians  in  the  West,  and  our  removal 
thither. 

In  August,  intoxication  prevailed  to  such  an  extent  on  Grand 
river,  that  our  young  men  employed  there  as  smith  and  labour 
ers  requested  leave  to  abandon  the  station.  An  attempt  had 
been  made  on  the  life  of  our  friend  Gosa,  and  on  one  occasion 
he  and  his  family  took  refuge  in  the  house  with  our  young  men, 
where  the  whole  party  remained  watching  all  night. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  275 

Recovering  from  a  bacchanalian  revel,  and  finding  our  young 
men  inclined  to  leave  them,  they  sent  Gosa  messenger  to  us, 
to  entreat  us  to  continue  our  efforts  for  them  ;  promising  better 
manners  in  future,  and  requesting  me  to  visit  them.  By  way 
of  extenuation,  they  said  the  disturbances  had  been- originated 
by  young  men,  who  had  been  prompted  by  a  white  man,  whom 
they  named — the  same  who  had  stated  to  the  United  States' 
commissioners,  at  the  treaty  of  Chicago  in  1821,  that  the  Puta- 
watomies  desired  a  Catholic  instead  of  a  Protestant  teacher ; 
which  statement  was  instantly  contradicted  by  the  Indians. 
They  stated  that  some  Ottawa  young  men  had  been  told  that 
we  would  rob  them  of  their  annuities,  would  induce  the  whites 
to  settle  in  their  country,  &c_ 

My  health  had  for  some  considerable  time  been  very  poor, 
and  at  this  time  I  was  almost  wholly  confined  to  my  room  ;  I 
could  not,  therefore,  visit  them  according  to  their  request.  We 
sent  them  by  Gosa  what  we  esteemed  a  suitable  message,  and 
wrote,  encouraging  our  young  men  not  to  abandon  the  station, 
and  promising  to  visit  them  as  soon  as  practicable. 

The  navigation  of  these  upper  lakes  was  at  this  time  in  its 
incipient  state,  and  supplies  by  this  route  were  often  attended 
with  great  expense.  Sundry  articles  of  importance  to  us  had 
been  left  at  Chicago,  a  distance  by  water  of  more  than  one  hun 
dred  miles  from  us,  and  we  had  to  encounter  the  expense  of 
sending  a  barge  for  them.  On  the  5th  of  September,  1825,  we 
started  a  periogue  to  Grand  river,  with  iron  and  steel,  and  other 
articles  needed  at  that  station.  On  the  following  day,  with 
Noaquett,  who  was  yet  with  us,  a  Frenchman,  and  an  Indian, 
I  set  out  for  the  same  place  by  land,  driving  with  us  five  head 
of  cattle,  for  the  benefit  of  our  establishment  there.  On  the 
same  day,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simerwell  set  off  on  a  journey  of  four 
or  five  hundred  miles,  to  Kentucky,  with  the  expectation  of 
being  absent  two  months.  Mr.  Lykins  and  Mrs.  McCoy  were 
the  only  missionaries  left  at  Carey. 

On  our  way  to  Grand  river  our  Indian  sickened,  and  we  had 
to  send  him  ten  miles,  to  find  a  shelter  in  an  Indian  village. 
We  reached  Grand  river  on  the  fifth  day,  having  suffered  not  a 
little  inconvenience  at  some  of  our  encampments,  on  account  of 
the  scarcity  of  water. 

I  delivered  to  the  Indians  ploughs,  yokesj  chains,  and  other 
farming  utensils,  and  also  some  mechanics'  tools,  all  which  had 
been  forwarded  to  our  charge  by  the  Government.  The  arti 
cles,  as  too  often  happens  in  such  cases,  were  not  of  good  qual 
ity.  By  such  delinquencies  .the  confidence  of  the  Indians  is 


276 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


impaired,  and  lire  obslacles  to  the  success  of  missionary  labours 
are  increased.  Advice  was  given  them  in  regard  to  places  for 
improvements,  and  the  most  eligible  modes ;  and  they  seemed 
inspired  with  new  hopes,  and  made  new  promises  to  endeavour 
to  do  well.  Some  who  had  been  induced  to  oppose  the  mission 
at  Grand  river  visited  me  while  there,  and  appeared  to  become 
entirely  satisfied.  We  had  as  yet  little  improvement  in  build 
ings  or  farm  at  this  station.  Hands  were  now  set  to  work  to 
erect  permanent  log  buildings,  such  as  the  operations  of  the 
mission  called  for. 

To  hear  these  people  entreating  that  a  school  should  be  fur 
nished  them,  to  find  them  actually  improving  farms,  and  to 
observe  them  listening  attentively  to  religious  instruction,  could 
not  but  make  a  deep  impression  on  my  mind.  We  regretted 
the  necessity  which  we  foresaw  would  soon  occur  for  their  re 
moval,  and  for  the  abandonment  of  the  missionary  improve 
ments  which  we  were  now  making ;  still  we  hoped  by  our 
efforts  to  prepare  some,  by  making  them  acquainted  with  civil 
ized  and  Christian  institutions,  to  become  useful  citizens  in  the 
Indian  territory  in  the  West,  to  the  establishment  of  which  much 
importance  was  attached  by  every  day's  experience.  Had  these 
Indians  been  permanently  located  in  a  place  in  which  it  was 
possible  to  avoid  the  effects,  to  a  ruinous  extent,  of  the  proxi 
mity  of  white  settlements,  our  prospects  in  relation  to  them 
would  have  been  fair,  and  our  satisfaction  great ;  but  we  laboured 
under  the  discouraging  reflection  that  our  work  there  was  tem 
porary,  and  that  after  we  had  with  much  sacrifice  produced  a 
little  improvement  among  the  people  of  our  charge,  there  would 
be  a  distressing  deterioration  at  the  time  of  their  emigration  to 
another  country  ;  therefore,  the  sooner  their  permanent  location 
in  a  country  of  their  own  could  be  effected,  the  better.  We 
also  hoped  that  some  remuneration  for  our  expenditures  at  the 
place  would  be  made  to  the  mission  by  the  Government,  at  the 
time  that  it  would  require  the  removal  of  the  Ottawas.  The 
place  we  had  selected  for  the  establishment  of  the  mission,  we 
could  easily  perceive,  would  one  day  become  a  place  of  impor 
tance — much  more  so  than  that  which  had  originally  been  se 
lected  for  it  by  the  commissioner  of  the  United  States.  That 
our  estimate  of  the  local  advantages  of  the  present  site  was  not 
erroneous,  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel. 

In  the  fore  part  of  October,  I  attended  at  Chicago  the  pay 
ment  of  an  annuity  by  Dr.  Wolcott,  United  States'  Indian 
agent,  and  through  his  politeness  addressed  the  Indians  on  the 
subject  of  our  mission.  On  the  9th  of  October,  1825,  I 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


277 


preached  in  English,  which,  as  I  was  informed,  was  the  first 
sermon  ever  delivered  at  or  near  that  place.  Between  our 
place  and  Chicago  was  a  wilderness,  in  which  we  took  five 
nights'  lodging  on  the  tour. 

In  consequence  of  a  pressure  of  business  on  our  part,  and  a 
knowledge  of  the  absence  of  the  Superintendent  of  Indian  Af 
fairs  from  his  office,  our  semi-annual  report,  which  ought  to  have 
been  made  out  in  July,  was  not  forwarded  until  the  1st  of  Octo 
ber.  The  following  are  extracts  from  it : 

"Seventy  scholars  belong  to  our  school,  viz:  fifty  males  and 
twenty  females ;  fourteen  of  whom  have  advanced  to  the  study 
of  arithmetic,  twenty -two  others  to  reading  and  writing.  During 
the  last  year  four  have  completed  their  courses,  and  have  left 
the  institution;  two  are  apprentices  to  the  blacksmith's  business, 
and  one  to  the  shoemaker's.  The  residue  of  the  males  who 
are  old  enough  labour  a  portion  of  the  time  on  the  farm,  and 
the  females  spend  part  of  their  time  at  the  wheel,  loom,  needle, 
&c.  Two  hundred  and  eight  yards  of  cloth  have  been  manu 
factured  the  past  year." 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  answer  of  the  Superin 
tendent  of  Indian  Affairs  : 

"  Detroit,  October  12,  1825. 

"  SIR:  I  am  highly  gratified  with  your  report  of  the  condition 
of  the  schools,  and  of  the  general  state  of  the  establishments. 
I  have  no  doubt  but  that,  under  your  immediate  superintend 
ence,  they  will  increase  in  numbers,  usefulness,"  &c. 

"  LEWIS  CASS." 

On  the  24th  of  November,  1825,  Mr.  Jotham  Meeker  and 
Mr.  W.  M.  Crosley  arrived  at  Carey,  with  the  view  of  becom 
ing  missionaries ;  they  were  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio ;  each  about 
twenty-one  years  of  age ;  the  former  a  printer,  and  the  latter 
by  trade  a  blacksmith.  Mr.  Simerwell,  on  a  journey  to  Ken 
tucky,  had  formed  some  acquaintance  with  them,  and  had  en 
couraged  them  to  enter  upon  missionary  labours.  The  mission 
assisted  them  in  making  the  journey,  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  miles,  to  Carey.  Mr.  Meeker,  whose  name  will  hereafter 
frequently  be  mentioned,  remains  up  to  this  time  a  faithful  mis 
sionary.  Mr.  Crosley  remained  until  the  27th  day  of  May, 
1826,  when,  having  declined  further  missionary  labours,  he  left 
the  mission  and  returned  to  Ohio. 

By  the  26th  of  December,  1825,  we  were  prepared  to  report 
to  the  Secretary  of  War  the  erection  of  three  neat  buildings  at 
Grand  river,  one  of  which  was  designed  for  the  accommodation 


278  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

of  a  school.  These  reports  were  made  for  the  purpose  of  ob 
taining  some  remuneration  for  the  costs  incurred  in  the  erection, 
and  we  did  afterwards  receive  two-thirds  of  the  cost,  as  we  had 
for  some  of  the  buildings  at  Carey.  It  was  by  means  obtained 
by  us  from  the  Government,  in  connection  with  donations  from 
benevolent  individuals  and  societies,  made  specially  for  Indian 
stations,  or  for  our  stations,  that  we  were  enabled  to  carry  for 
ward  our  operations. 

On  the  17th  of  February,  1826,  I  made  an  arrangement  with 
General  J.  Tipton,  United  States'  Indian  agent,  from  which  a 
hope  was  indulged  that,  at  a  treaty  to  be  held  in  the  ensuing 
autumn,  some  provision  for  education  could  be  made,  which 
would  add  somewhat  to  our  relief  in  the  support  of  the  mission. 
In  this  we  were  not  disappointed,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter.  On 
the  9th  of  March  following,  I  addressed  a  letter  to  the  board, 
in  relation  to  some  of  our  missionary  plans,  of  which  the  follow 
ing  is  an  extract : 

"  DEAR  BROTHER:  I  beg  leave  to  communicate  to  the  board  of 
managers  of  the  Baptist  General  Missionary  Convention  the  fol 
lowing,  in  regard  to  missionary  operations. 

"  The  emigration  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  westwardly 
will,  doubtless,  soon  drive  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Carey  and 
Thomas  the  Putawatomies  and  Ottawas,  as  well  as  the  Miarnies, 
Shawanoes,  and  others.  A  treaty  has  been  authorized  by  Con 
gress,  which  will  occur  the  next  summer,  and  will  extinguish  the 
title  of  those  tribes  to  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  land  they  respectively 
own.  These  Indians  will  be  removed  to  the  west  [of  the  Mis 
sissippi  river.]  Should  this  removal  take  place  before  suitable 
preparation  is  made  for  locating,  aiding,  and  instructing  them, 
they  must  inevitably  wander  and  perish,  as  others  have  done 
under  similar  circumstances. 

"  The  removal,  when  it  occurs,  must  be  attended  with  loss 
to  the  mission,  and  with  a  deterioration  in  the  condition  of  the 
Indians.  In  order  to  prevent,  though  in  a  small  degree,  these 
evils,  we  propose  that  as  soon  as  a  competent  number  of  mis 
sionaries  can  be  obtained  to  manage  the  stations  of  Carey  and 
Thomas,  the  undersigned,  with  his  family,  shall  go  westwardly, 
say  in  the  ensuing  autumn,  and  make  himself  acquainted  with 
the  country  and  its  inhabitants  west  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  by 
actually  residing  in  and  exploring  those  regions,  &c. 

"  ISAAC  McCoy." 

"Rev.  Dr.  Staughton,  Cor.  Sec.  tyr." 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


279 


We  also  took  measures  at  the  same  time  to  influence  the 
Government  to  make  suitable  locations  for  the  emigrant  tribes, 
and  provision  for  their  comfort  and  improvement,  This  design 
was  favoured  by  the  Board,  which  appointed  a  committee 
upon  the  subject  of  its  management.  I  also  conferred  freely 
upon  the  subject  with  the  following  members  of  Congress,  all 
of  whom  appeared  ready  to  promote  our  views,  viz.:  Hon.  R. 
M.  Johnson,  Hon.  James  Johnson,  Hon.  William  McLean,  and 
Hon.  James  Noble ;  also.  Col.  T.  L.  McKenney,  who  was  at  the 
time  at  the  bureau  of  Indian  Affairs,  and  who  approved,  and 
declared  himself  ready  to  promote  our  wishes. 

In  the  fore  part  of  May,  1826,  I  attended  the  Baptist  Gene 
ral  Convention  in  the  city  of  New- York.  At  this  meeting  t he- 
Convention  unanimously  passed  the  following  resolution  : 

"  Resolved,  That  a  memorial  be  presented  at  the  next  session 
of  Congress,  expressive  of  the  entire  approbation  of  this  Con 
vention  of  the  design  of  our  Government  to  locate  the  abori 
gines  of  our  country  in  the  West,  and  of  our  readiness  to  co 
operate  in  such  a  measure,  and  praying  Congress  to  increase 
the  appropriation  for  Indian  reform." 

Embarrassed  for  want  of  pecuniary  support  for  our  mission, 
we  had  made  great  efforts  to  obtain  it  from  Government,  and 
from  benevolent  societies  and  individuals,  and  these  efforts  had 
been  successful  to  a  degree  that  excited  gratitude  to  God. 
Still  we  had  sensibly  felt,  from  the  first,  the  want  of  the  zealous 
co-operation  of  the  board  in  devising  and  accomplishing  mea 
sures  which  we  deemed  of  vital  importance.  The  inconveni 
ence  to  us  was  the  greater,  because  we  could  not,  without  injury 
to  our  good  cause,  tell  the  public  that  we  were  left  to  contrive 
and  manage  for  ourselves;  and  the  prints  emanating  from  the 
offices  of  the  board  (the  Latter  Day  Luminary  and  the  Colum 
bian  Star)  being  deficient  in  information  respecting  our  missions, 
and  in  requesting  help  in  means  and  missionaries,  less  interest 
was  felt  in  our  behalf  than  would  otherwise  have  been  the  case. 
Persons  with  whom  we  corresponded,  on  reading  our  letters  to 
them,  often  expressed  astonishment  that  the  board  should  not  do 
more  to  inform  the  public  of  our  condition  and  wants.  We  sup 
posed  that  the  absorbing  interests  of  the  Columbian  College 
had  diminished  their  attention  to  missionary  affairs. 

At  this  convention  the  college  matters  were  very  properly 
separated  from  those  of  a  missionary  character ;  and  we  now 
hoped  that  the  board  would  find  room  for  more  thoughts  rela 
tive  to  our  missions.  The  office  of  the  board  and  its  common 
place  of  meeting  were  removed  from  Washington  to  Boston, 


280 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


Massachusetts;  consequently,  a  new  secretary  and  treasurer 
were  appointed ;  and  what  might  be  termed  the  acting  mem 
bers  of  the  board  were  changed  with  the  change  of  the  place 
of  meeting. 

But  with  all  that  was  gratifying  in  the  good  sense,  piety, 
and  zeal  in  the  cause  of  God  in  general,  manifested  by  the 
members  of  the  Convention,  1  was  much  distressed  on  observ 
ing  how  imperfectly  Indian  affairs  were  understood,  and  the 
little  probability  there  was  that  Indian  missions  would  be  zeal 
ously  prosecuted. 

I  returned  from  the  convention  by  way  of  Detroit,  at  which 
place  I  obtained  for  our  relief  some  funds  due  us  from  the  Go 
vernment,  and  which  we  greatly  needed ;  and,  what  was  of  still 
more  importance,  I  was  allowed  an  opportunity  of  presenting  to 
Governour  Cass,  who  was  to  be  one  of  the  commissioners  to 
treat  with  the  Indians  the  following  autumn,  a  petition,  that,  in 
making  the  treaty,  provision  should  be  made  for  educational 
purposes. 

From  Detroit  I  was  accompanied  by  Mr.  R.  D.  Potts,  who 
had  been  appointed  sub-agent  of  Indian  affairs,  and  who  for  a 
long  time  after  .resided  in  our  family.  Five  days'  journey 
through  the  wilderness  brought  us  to  Carey,  from  which  I  had 
been  absent  more  than  four  months.  It  was  on  this  tour  that 
the  Indian  youths  had  been  taken  to  the  literary  institution  in 
the  State  of  New-York,  as  before  stated.  I  had  overstaid 
my  appointed  time  for  returning,  and  our  family  having  become 
uneasy  lest  some  serious  accident  on  the  lake  or  elsewhere  had 
befallen  me,  I  was  met  by  Mr.  Lykins  on  his  way  to  Detroit, 
to  inquire  for  me.  Agreeably  to  custom,  on  returning  from  a 
long  journey,  a  large  company  of  Indians  assembled  "  to  hear 
the  news." 

For  two  days  our  family  had  been  in  great  anxiety  on  account 
of  two  of  our  little  Indian  girls,  one  about  five  and  the  other 
about  six  years  of  age,  who  had  wandered  from  our  house,  and 
lost  themselves  in  the  surrounding  woods.  During  their  absence, 
diligent  search  was  made  by  every  one  who  could  be  employed  ; 
but  it  was  some  time  before  any  signs  of  them  could  be  per 
ceived.  At  length  it  was  discovered  where  they  had, rested  on 
a  log,  and  had  chewed  roots  and  twigs,  and,  after  extracting 
the  juice,  had  thrown  them  on  the  earth.  On  the  evening  of 
the  second  day  they  were  found,  and  brought  home  upon  the 
shoulders  of  Mr.  Meeker  and  one  of  our  hired  men. 

The  following  may  furnish  a  faint  idea  of  the  evils  of  intem 
perance  around  us  about  this  time.  While  absent  on  my  late 


INDIAN  MISSIONS 


281 


tour,  Mr.  Simerwell  wrote  me  as  follows:  "  Our  white  neigh 
bours,  T ,  G ,  and  E ,  deal  out  whiskey  to  the  In 
dians  plentifully,  with  which  they  purchase  any  thing  which  the 
Indians  are  willing  to  part  with.  A  silver  mounted  rifle,  worth 
twenty  or  twenty-five  dollars,  has  been  purchased  of  them  for 
seventy-five  cents  worth  of  whiskey.  The  clothing  of  the 
Indians,  and  farming  and  cooking  utensils,  are  purchased  for 
liquor ;  and  these  articles  are  sometimes  again  sold  to  the  In 
dians  for  furs.  Articles  manufactured  for  the  Indians  in  our 
smithery  have  afterwards  been  seen  in  the  stores  of  the  whis 
key  sellers." 

Mr.  Lykins  also  wrote  as  follows:  "  Since  we  last  wrote 
you,  [twenty-eight  days  previously,]  I  suppose  the  Indians 
have  not  passed  a  single  day  without  drinking.  Poor  old  To- 
penebe  [principal  chief]  is  said  to  be  near  his  end,  from  intoxi 
cation.  I  have  never  before  known  them  to  continue  in  a  state 

of  intoxication  so  long  without  intermission.  T ,  and 

G ,  and  L ,  all  near  us,  are  engaged  in  selling  whis 
key ;  and  I  suppose  they  have  enough  to  keep  the  Indians 
drunk  all  the  spring  and  summer.  Sympathize  with  us,  my 
dear  brother,  in  our  griefs,  when  I  tell  you  every  hope,  every 
prospect  for  the  welfare  of  the  Indians  around  us,  is  prostrate — 
is  entirely  cut  off.  I  entreat  you  to  plead  for  their  removal. 
If  our  patrons  have  not  funds  to  employ,  they  have  feelings  and 
voices ;  entreat  them  to  make  themselves  heard  in  behalf  of 
the  Indians."  On  the  19th  of  January,  a  father,  under  the 
influence  of  liquor,  resolved  on  the  murder  of  a  son,  and  with  a 
loaded  rifle  in  his  hand  started  to  a  neighbouring  house  in  quest 
of  him.  The  mother  ran  to  our  house  for  assistance,  to  pre 
vent  the  murder.  An  older  son,  who  was  a  member  of  our 
family  and  of  our  church,  was  barely  able  to  intercept  his 
father,  in  time  to  save  his  brother's  life.  The  gun  was  pre 
sented  at  our  young  man,  who  by  a  dexterous  and  violent  effort 
saved  his  life,  and  disarmed  the  murderer.  On  the  10th  of 
June,  18:26,  a  Putawatomie,  under  the  influence  of  ardent 
spirits,  became  troublesome  at  our  house,  and  was  compelled 
to  leave,  though  no  violence  was  used  towards  him.  He  left 
in  anger,  and  went  five  miles  to  a  trading  house ;  there  he 
declared  his  determination  to  return  and  take  the  life  of  some 
one  of  us,  and,  mounting  a  horse,  hastened  back ;  the  trader, 
in  order  to  warn  us  of  our  danger,  followed  him,  and  they  both 
reached  our  place  at  the  same  time.  He  was  induced  to  leave 
the  premises  without  doing  any  mischief. 

Amidst  these  disorders,  by  which  the  mission  was  surrounded. 
36 


282 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


unremitting  efforts  were  made  for  the  temporal  and  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  people  of  our  charge.  We  assisted  them  with 
our  teams  in  ploughing  land,  and  aided  them  in  other  respects ; 
and  religious  visits  to  their  houses  and  public  religious  exer 
cises  were  not  omitted. 

Having  ascertained  that  we  could  place  two  of  our  Indian 
pupils  in  a  medical  institution  in  the  State  of  Vermont,  on  the 
6th  of  June  we  selected  two  lads,  each  about  sixteen  years  of  age, 
who  were  very  much  pleased  with  their  prospects.  Their  Indian 
names  were  Soswa  and  Conauda.  For  their  improvement  we 
employed  them  as  interpreters,  and  hoped  that  religious  truth 
might  reach  their  hearts.  Nearly  a  year  preceding  this  time 
they  had  been  serious,  and  one  of  them  had  requested  to  be 
baptized ;  but  it  was  feared  that  he  was  not  prepared.  One 
day,  after  interpreting  a  religious  discourse,  Soswa  said  to  one 
of  the  missionaries,  "  Soon  after  you  told  us  you  would  send 
us  some  place  to  learn  to  be  doctors,  I  said  to  Conauda, 
well,  now,  our  friends  are  very  kind  to  us,  and  we  must  do  as 
they  tell  us.  They  tell  us  to  be  good,  and  we  must  try  ;  and 
Conauda  say,  well,  I  am  willing.  I  said,  now  we  must  try  to 
pray;  and  Conauda  say  he  was  agreed.  So  every  night  we 
pray  in  the  woods.  One  night  I  pray,  and  next  night  Conauda 
pray.  One  time  I  try  to  pray  in  English,  and  I  could  not  say 
many  words,  because  I  did  not  understand  English  very  well. 
Then  I  say  to  Conauda,  well,  we  pray  in  Indian,  because  God 
can  hear  Indian  talk  the  same  as  he  hear  English  ;  then  we 
always  pray  in  Indian.  The  first  time  I  pray  I  feel  afraid — I 
think  somebody  see  me  ;  and  Conauda  say  he  feel  so  too,  the 
first  time  he  pray.  Now  we  don't  feel  so.  We  talk  very 
much  about  being  good." 

On  the  7th  of  June,  1826,  Mr.  Lykins  was  licensed  by  the 
church  to  preach  the  gospel.  On  the  19th,  more  than  eighty 
Sauks  from  the  west,  on  their  annual  visit  to  Maiden,  Upper 
Canada,  for  British  presents,  called  at  our  house  and  performed 
their  begging  dance.  A  minute  account  of  their  dress  for  the 
occasion,  their  painting,  drumming,  dancing,  shouting,  speech- 
making,  &tc.,  would  make  a  long  story.  They  had  taken  great 
pains  to  appear  in  good  style,  and  to  perform  their  uncouth  feats 
to  advantage.  One  had  the  scalp  of  an  Osage  suspended  to  a 
string  around  his  neck,  and  hanging  on  his  breast. 

June  the  25th.  We  received  fifty-five  head  of  cattle,  sent 
by  the  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  in  conformity  with  the 
treaty  of  Chicago  of  1621,  to  be  distributed  by  us  to  the  Otta- 
was  as  we  should  think  proper.  About  this  time  Mr.  Lykins 


INDIAN     MISSIONS. 


283 


returned  from  a  visit  to  Thomas,  by  way  of  the  lake,  and  in  a 
few  days  started  with  the  cattle  for  that  place,  having  with  him 
a  hired  white  man,  an  interpreter,  who  was  a  half-Indian,  and 
an  Indian. 

His  interpreter  sickened  on  the  road,  and  afforded  very  little 
assistance  in  any  way,  and  was  left  at  Thomas.  His  hired 
white  man  poisoned  his  limbs  in  the  wet  grass  and  weeds,  so 
that  he  became  a  burden  rather  than  an  assistant ;  and  about 
half-way  through  the  wilderness  his  Indian  deserted  him,  when 
more  than  a  day's  journey  from  Grand  river.  By  him,  how 
ever,  he  sent  instructions  lo  our  hands  at  Thomas  to  meet  him 
and  help  him  forward. 

The  Ottawas  were  generally  assembled,  and  the  distribution 
of  the  cattle  was  made  among  them  entirely  to  their  satisfaction. 
They  were  told  that  the  cattle  must  not  be  killed  for  food,  un 
less  such  as  might  not  be  necessary  for  draught  or  milk,  or  for 
increase.  They  remained  in  charge  of  the  mission,  subject  to 
the  use  of  the  Indian  owners,  respectively,  whenever  they  de 
sired.  The  two  labourers  employed  by  the  Government,  by 
virtue  of  the  Chicago  treaty,  who  were  under  our  management, 
prepared  hay  for  the  cattle  and  fed  them  in  winter,  except  such 
as  the  Indians  applied  to  use.  This  method  of  preserving  the 
cattle  was  very  troublesome  to  the  missionaries,  but  it  was  a 
measure  necessary  to  the  welfare  of  the  Indians.  Mr.  Lykins 
had  much  interesting  conversation  with  the  Ottawas,  who  re 
peated  their  earnest  request  for  a  school,  and  expressed  a  desire 
to  hear  preaching.  Gosa,  on  his  return  from  Washington  and 
the  State  of  New  York,  whither  he  had  accompanied  the  Indian 
youths  who  had  been  taken  thither  to  school,  had  made  a  full 
report  of  the  journey  to  his  people,  and  it  soon  became  evident 
that  it  produced  a  favourable  impression  upon  them. 

On  the  21st  of  July,  we  received  a  communication  from  the 
corresponding  secretary  of  the  board  of  missions  lately  organ 
ized  by  the  General  Convention,  by  which  we  were  informed 
that  I  had  been  appointed  their  agent,  to  attend  to  business  for 
them  in  relation  to  settling  the  Indians  in  the  West,  subject  to 
future  instructions.  They  also  informed  that  Mr.  Slater  and 
wife,  and  Miss  Purchase,  had  been  appointed  missionaries  to 
unite  with  us.  All  this  was  good  news. 

The  most  prominent  part  of  the  communication  of  the  board 
was,  however,  far  from  being  satisfactory  to  us.  We  had,  long 
since,  adopted  what  we  termed  "  Family  Rules."*  In  these 
we  had  established  equality  among  ourselves,  and  had  consa- 

*  See  page  170, 


284  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

crated  our  whole  lives  and  labours  to  the  business  of  mission 
aries  to  the  Indians.  All  our  earnings  from  the  Government, 
all  the  products  of  the  industry  of  our  own  hands,  and  all  money 
or  property  accruing  to  us,  or  coming  to  us  from  any  quarter 
except  a  private  inheritance,  was  to  be  thrown  into  the  common 
missionary  fund,  to  become  the  property  of  the  board,  and  ac 
credited  to  the  board  as  it  came  into  our  hands,  the  same  as  if 
it  had  actually  come  out  of  their  treasury  ;  and  all  our  expend 
itures  were  to  be  regularly  reported  to  them,  and  our  accounts 
of  receipts  and  expenditures  were  to  be  examined  by  them. 
At  the  same  time  we  held  that  the  board  were  bound,  if  they 
had  the  means,  to  afford  us  needful  support  so  long  as  they 
chose  to  continue  us  in  connection  with  them.  Any  missionary 
was  liable  to  be  dismissed  at  their  pleasure.  If,  in  auditing  our 
accounts,  we  had  not  expended  all  the  money  that  we  had  re 
ceived,  the  balance  was  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  board,  to  be 
accounted  for  by  the  mission  at  the  next  rendering  of  accounts. 
If  we  had  expended  more  than  we  had  received,  we  expected 
the  board  to  refund  it  to  us,  if  they  possessed  the  means. 
These  Family  Rules,  having  been  approved  by  the  board,  had 
become  a  written  contract  between  them  and  the  mission,  until 
by  one  of  the  parties  it  was  disclaimed. 

The  new  board,  without  consulting  the  missionaries,  and  with 
out  respect  to  the  Family  Rules,  informed  us  that  they  "  con 
templated  putting  all  their  missionaries  on  a  footing  of  pay." 
Against  this,  and  sentiments  connected  with  it,  we  strongly 
remonstrated.  We  pleaded  that  it  would  be  degrading  us  to 
the  condition  of  persons  hired  to  labour ;  whereas  we  had  not 
been  influenced  by  the  love  of  wages  to  come  hither.  We  at 
tached  to  the  missionary  enterprise  a  dignity  with  which  we 
thought  their  proposition  did  not  comport.  The  adoption  of 
the  measure  proposed  would  produce  an  entire  change  in  our 
relation  to  one  another  as  missionaries,  and  to  the  missionary 
cause.  Now,  we  lived  as  one  family,  fed  at  one  table,  the  corn- 
fort  of  all  being  provided  for  alike,  and  the  burden  of  labours 
was  borne  as  each  had  strength  and  opportunity,  and  no  one 
claimed  as  his  any  thing  belonging  to  the  mission  ;  but  if  we 
should  be  put  "  upon  a  footing  of  pay,"  the  distinctions  of  mine 
and  thine  would  be  introduced.  This  would  ruin  us.  Our 
trials  and  sacrifices  were  great,  and  our  labours  severe,  and  we 
knew  that  the  missionaries  must  be  actuated  by  higher  motives 
than  it  seemed  the  board  had  supposed.  We  respectfully, 
though  positively,  refused  to  submit  to  the  decision,  and  con 
tinued,  as  before,  to  make  our  reports  of  all  our  receipts  and  all 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


285 


our  expenditures.  This,  however,  was  no  disadvantage  to  the 
board,  because  they  were  not  advancing  for  our  support  any 
moneys  which  did  not  belong  to  us.  It  was,  indeed,  an  advan 
tage  to  them  ;  because  our  salaries  from  Government  were  pro 
perly  our  own  money,  as  much  so  as  the  salaries  of  any  other 
agents  of  Government  were  theirs,  and  might  justly  have  been 
applied  to  private  use.  The  fulfilment  of  the  duties  of  these 
Government  agencies  was  properly  missionary  labour,  and  added 
to  our  influence  and  usefulness.  Had  we  accepted  of  a  salary 
from  the  board,  all  our  earnings  from  Government  might  have 
been  laid  by  as  private  property ;  but  all  the  missionaries  had 
not  salaries  from  Government.  Hence  a  difference  in  condition 
would  have  been  occasioned ;  and,  moreover,  we  were  resolved 
not  to  put  it  into  the  power  of  any  to  suppose  that  we  were 
actuated  by  any  other  than  principles  of  disinterested  benevo 
lence.  We  had  no  objection  to  a  monthly  or  yearly  allowance, 
nor  that  this  should  be  varied  to  meet  our  actual  wants,  which 
at  one  time  might  be  greater  or  less  than  at  others. 

On  the  27th  of  September  the  corresponding  secretaiy  in 
formed  us  that,  "  in  compliance  with  our  united  and  pressing 
request,  the  board  had  agreed  that  the  missionaries  at  Carey 
might  remain  without  a  salary,"  as  had  been  the  case  before ; 
still  our  views  were  not  harmonized  In  all  points.  We  did  not 
believe  that  our  obligations  to  our  families,  in  certain  respects, 
had  been  diminished  by  our  undertaking  to  labour  for  the  In 
dians.  We  believed  that  our  children  ought  not  to  be  reared 
up  wholly  in  the  Indian  country;  we  were  willing  to  send  them 
into  the  world  poor ;  we  were  not  laying  by  a  particle  of  pro 
perty  for  them,  but  we  were  resolved  that  they  should  be 
decently  educated  in  better  society  than  existed  among  the  Pu- 
tawatomies  and  other  Indian  tribes.  This  was  a  case  too  plain, 
we  thought  and  felt,  to  need  argument  in  its  support.  The 
board,  however,  declined  assuming  any  responsibility  for  the 
education  of  the  children  of  missionaries,  further  than  it  could 
be  imparted  at  the  respective  missionary  stations.  From  this 
resolution  they  have  never  since  departed ;  but  the  mission  not 
being  dependant  on  the  board  for  support,  we  continued  to  ad 
here  implicitly  to  the  rules  we  had  adopted,  sent  our  children 
to  school  in  the  white  settlements  a  portion  of  the  time,  and 
reported  to  the  board  the  whole  of  our  receipts  and  expendi 
tures,  as  formerly. 
#  :«"  -i  •  ni  »  ::.*!  H 


286 


HISTORY  Ol"  BAPTIST 

CHAPTER    XL 


Commissioner's  report  of  the  mission.  Important  treaty  stipu 
lations.  Arrival  of  missionaries.  Difficult  journey  to  Thomas 
station.  Voyage  to  Thomas.  An  idol.  Two  boys  taken  to 
Vermont  to  study  medicine.  Superstition.  Missionaries 
arrive  at  Thomas ;  others  return  to  Carey. 

On  the  27th  of  July,  1826,  a  poor,  destitute  Indian  woman, 
whose  little  son  was  a  member  of  our  family,  and  who  had  her 
self  resided  with  us  some  months,  was  murdered  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  our  house,  by  Putawatomies,  under  circum 
stances  too  shocking  to  be  related.  About  the  same  time, 
Topenebe,  the  principal  chief,  fell  from  his  horse,  under  the 
influence  of  ardent  spirits,  and  received  an  injury,  of  which  he 
died  two  days  afterwards.  Both  these  deaths  are  attributable 
to  the  whiskey  sellers. 

John  L.  Leib,  Esq.,  the  Government  agent  to  visit  and  in 
spect,  annually,  Indian  schools  within  the  Detroit  superintend- 
ency  of  Indian  affairs,  visited  Carey  a  second  time  in  the  latter 
part  of  August,  1826.  The  following  is  the  acknowledgment 
of  the  report  by  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  at  Wash 
ington  : 

"  DEPARTMENT  OF  WAR, 
"  Office  of  Indian  Affairs,  February  7th,  1827. 

"  SIR:  Tour  letter  of  the  10th  ultimo,  enclosing  Judge  Leib's 
report,  is  highly  satisfactory.  1  have  no  doubt  much  good  will 
result  to  the  Indians  from  his  visits,  sustained  as  they  are  by  just 
and  humane  views  towards  the  Indians,  and  an  intelligence 
which  works  advantageously  upon  their  hopes  and  their  hap 
piness. 

"  I  have  the  happiness  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient 
servant, 

"THOMAS  L.  MCK^ENNEY. 

"  To  his  Excellency  Lewis  Cass,  Detroit." 

The  following  are  extracts  from  the  report  itself,  made  to 
Governour  Cass : 

"  On  the  15th  of  August,  I  proceeded  to  the  Carey  establish 
ment,  on  the  St.  Joseph's,  where  I  arrived  on  the  21st,  and  was 
much  gratified  with  its  improvement  in  all  its  departments.  It 
is  a  world  in  miniature,  and  presents  the  most  cheerful  and  con 
soling  appearance.  It  has  become  a  familiar  resort  of  the 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  287 

natives,  and,  from  the  benefits  which  they  derive  from  it  in 
various  shapes,  they  begin  to  feel  a  dependance  on,  and  a  re 
source  in  it  at  all  times,  and  especially  in  difficult  and  trying 
occasions.  There  is  not  a  day,  I  might  almost  say  an  hour,  in 
which  new  faces  were  not  to  be  seen.  The  smithery  affords 
them  incalculable  facilities,  and  is  constantly  filled  with  appli 
cants  for  some  essential  service.  It  is  a  touching  spectacle  to 
see  them,  at  the  time  of  prayers,  fall  in  with  the  members  of 
the  institution,  which  they  do  spontaneously  and  cheerfully,  and 
with  a  certain  animation  depicted  on  their  countenances,  exhi 
biting  their  internal  satisfaction. 

"  The  missionaries  permanently  connected  with  this  institu 
tion,  besides  the  superintendent  and  his  wife,  are  Robert  Simer- 
well  and  wife,  Jotham  Meeker,  and  Johnston  Lykins,  who  is 
now  constituted  the  superintendent  of  a  missionary  station,  called 
Thomas,  on  Grand  river,  a  ramification  from  the  St.  Joseph's. 

"  There  are  at  present  seventy  scholars,  forty-two  males  and 
twenty-eight  females,  in  various  stages  of  improvement.  Their 
ages  and  advancement  in  learning  will  be  found  in  the  paper 
marked  A,  annexed.  Eight  of  the  alumni  of  this  institution, 
who  have  completed  the  first  rudiments  of  education,  have  been 
transferred  to  academies  in  New-Jersey  and  New-York.  Two 
of  the  boys  at  Carey  are  learning  the  trades  of  blacksmith  and 
shoemaker  ;  the  remainder  of  sufficient  size  are  employed  occa 
sionally  on  the  farm.  The  girls  are  engaged  in  spinning,  knit 
ting,  and  weaving,  and  the  loom  has  produced  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  yards  of  cloth  this  year.  Two  hundred  and  three 
acres  are  now  enclosed,  of  which  fifteen  were  in  wheat,  fifty  in 
Indian  corn,  eight  in  potatoes,  pumpkins,  and  other  vegetable 
products.  The  residue  is  appropriated  for  pasture. 

"There  have  been  added  to  the  buildings,  since  my  last  visit, 
a  house  and  a  most  excellent  grist  mill  worked  by  horses.  The 
usefulness  of  this  mill  can  scarcely  be  appreciated,  as  there  is 
no  other  of  any  kind  within  one  hundred  miles,  at  least,  of  the 
establishment ;  and  here,  as  benevolence  is  the  predominating 
principle,  all  the  surrounding  population  is  benefited. 

"  Numerous  Indian  families  have,  since  my  last  visit,  settled 
themselves  around,  and  have,  from  the  encouragement,  counte 
nance,  and  assistance  of  the  missionary  family,  made  consider 
able  progress  in  agriculture.  Indeed,  a  whole  village  has  been 
formed,  within  six  miles  of  it,  under  its  benevolent  auspices  and 
fostering  care.  I  visited  them,  to  witness  myself  the  change  in 
their  condition.  To  good  fences,  with  which  many  of  their 
grounds  are  enclosed,  succeed  domestic  animals.  You  now  see 


288 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


oxen,  cows,  and  swine,  grazing  around  their  dwellings,  without 
the  danger  of  destroying  their  crops.  These  are  the  strongest 
evidences  of  their  improvement,  and  not  the  least  of  the  benefits 
arising  from  the  neighbourhood  of  this  blessed  abode  of  the 
virtuous  inmates  of  Carey.  Occupancy  now  seems  consecrated 
by  the  labour  which  these  new  exertions  cost,  and  results  in 
giving  birth  in  the  mind  of  the  Indian  to  a  strong  sense  of  indi 
vidual  property.  This  germ,  as  it  expands,  will  give  root  to  a 
principle  which  will  ensure  gradual  civilization,  producing  secu 
rity  against  want,  while  it  dissipates  the  fears  arising  from  a 
precarious  subsistence. 

"  It  is  not  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  alone  that  the 
efforts  of  missionary  exertions  are  felt.  In  distant  places,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph's,  and  at  Grand  river,  the  most 
surprising  changes  have  taken  place.  Strong  and  effective  en 
closures  are  made  and  making,  and  stock  acquired  ;  and  at  the 
latter  place  the  missionary  family  has  erected  several  spacious 
buildings,  including  a  school  house,  and  improved  some  lands. 
Whilst  at  the  St.  Joseph's,  I  was  solicited  by  a  very  intelligent 
and  exemplary  Indian,  in  behalf  of  his  tribe,  to  interfere  with 
their  Great  Father,  [the  President  of  the  United  States,]  to 
endow  an  establishment  on  Grand  river,  similar  to  that  on  the 
St.  Joseph's. 

"  I  cannot  forbear  to  mention  here,  that  I  was  visited  by 
numerous  chiefs  of  known  and  approved  influence  over  their 
tribes,  who  came  to  express  their  satisfaction  at  the  establish 
ment,  and  inviting  me  to  a  conference  with  them.  In  one  of 
these  conferences  I  represented  to  them,  and  endeavoured  to 
impress  it  strongly  on  their  minds,  that  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,  and  the  missionaries  under  its  countenance, 
had  no  other  views  in  the  expenditure  and  personal  devotion 
but  to  improve  their  condition  ;  that  they  could  be  destroyed  at 
much  less  expense  than  protected  and  cherished  as  they  had 
been,  and  would  be,  if  good  were  produced  ;  but  that  all  the 
efforts  of  both  would  be  vain  and  fruitless,  if  they  did  not  abstain 
from  whiskey,  and  prevent  its  introduction  among  them. 

"  I  shall  never  forget,  on  one  of  these  occasions,  the  answer  of 
a  venerable  and  interesting  chief.  He  was  surrounded,  besides 
other  chiefs,  by  a  numerous  offspring,  who,  like  himself,  were 
magnificently  attired  according  to  their  custom.  After  a  con 
siderable  pause,  he  commenced  by  stating  that  what  I  had  said 
was  very  true ;  that  they  were  all  sensible  of  the  deleterious 
effects  of  whiskey,  and  of  the  ravages  it  had  made  and  was  still 
making  among  them;  that  they  did  not  seek  it,  but  it  was  brought 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


289 


to  them,  that  they  could  not  prevent  it,  nor  could  they  possibly 
forbear  from  drinking  it  when  it  was  within  their  reach,  that 
they  have  lost  all  their  manhood  with  their  independence,  that 
they  were  a  degraded  and  disgraced  race,  that  they  now  looked 
upon  the  whites  as  so  much  their  superiours  that  they  would  not 
attempt  to  resist  any  thing  they  did  or  should  do.  '  But,' 
continued  this  chief,  elevating  his  dignified  person,  '  if  our 
Great  Father  feels  such  an  interest  to  preserve  us  as  you  men 
tion,  all  powerful  as  he  is,  why  does  he  nor  command  his  people 
to  abstain  from  seeking,  in  the  ways  you  mention,  our  destruc 
tion  ?  He  has  but  to  will  it,  and  his  will  will  be  done.  He  can 
punish — he  can  save  us  from  the  ruin  which  surrounds  us.  We 
can  do  nothing  of  ourselves.  Jf  whiskey  were  not  brought  to 
us,  we  should  soon  cease  to  think  of  it,  and  we  should  be  happier 
and  healthier.' 

"  All  this  was  said  with  so  much  feeling  and  truth  that  I 
blushed  for  my  country,  and  could  find  no  apology  for  my  Go 
vernment,  in  not  devising  means  to  restrain  these  licentious 
traders,  high  and  low  individuals  and  companies,  who,  by  every 
means,  open  and  covert,  are  conveying  to  the  Indian  the  poison 
of  his  life  and  his  hopes." 

On  the  15th  of  September,  1826,  I  left  home,  in  company  of 
one  of  our  pupils,  to  attend  the  treaty  which  had  been  contem 
plated  for  some  time,  with  the  Putawatomies,  Miamies,  and 
others,  and  was  absent  from  the  mission  two  months.  We  de 
signed  to  secure  reservations  of  land  to  our  Indian  pupils.  We 
supposed  the  time  was  not  distant  when  these  Indians  would 
remove  to  the  West,  and  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  these 
tracts  of  land,  at  the  time  of  emigration,  would  assist  the  respec 
tive  owners  to  make  improvements  in  the  West.  The  first  few 
days  of  our  journey  were  spent  in  the  wilderness,  in  the  exami 
nation  of  the  country,  so  that,  should  such  locations  be  made 
by  stipulations  of  the  treaty,  we  should  be  able  to  point  to  suita 
ble  places. 

The  negotiations  of  this  treaty  with  the  Putawatomies  and 
Miamies  lasted  nearly  four  weeks,  and  resulted  in  the  cession 
of  a  considerable  amount  of  land  to  the  United  States.  On 
the  part  of  the  latter,  Governour  Cass,  of  Michigan,  and  Go- 
vernour  Ray  and  General  Tipton,  of  Indiana,  were  commis 
sioners.  On  Sabbaths  I  was  favoured  with  an  opportunity  of 
preaching  in  the  council  house,  which  1  did  not  fail  to  improve, 
in  pleading  the  cause  of  Indian  reform.  The  commissioners 
also  politely  afforded  me  an  opportunity/  of  making  known  to 
them  our  plans  and  requests.  They  also  very  properly  endea- 

37 


290 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


voured  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the  Indians  the  lamentable 
fact  that  their  woes  would  accumulate  while  they  remained  in 
their  present  places,  pressed  by  white  population  ;  and  argued 
the  propriety  of  their  removal  to  a  country  in  the  West,  from 
which,  it  was  hoped,  they  would  not  be  compelled  to  remove. 
For  their  encouragement  to  adopt  at  once  this  measure,  they 
were  told  that,  in  event  of  their  consenting  to  remove,  we  would 
accompany  them,  and  continue  our  school  and  other  labours 
among  them  for  their  benefit.  In  reference  to  removal  they 
made  no  reply. 

Among  the  stipulations  of  this  treaty  we  had  the  happiness 
to  see  secured  for  educational  purposes  among  the  Putawatomies 
two  thousand  dollars  annually,  for  twenty-two  years,  and  for 
education  among  the  Miamies  one  thousand  dollars  a  year,  as 
long  as  the  President  of  the  United  States  should  deem  it 
expedient.  One-half  of  these  allowances  for  education  we 
expected  to  be  applied  under  our  direction,  and  the  other  half 
to  be  applied  at  the  Choctaw  Academy,  in  Kentucky.  One- 
third  part  only  of  these  annuities  was  afterwards  applied  in  aid 
of  our  operations  for  a  year  or  two,  when  the  whole  amount 
turned  into  the  channel  of  support  to  the  Indian  school  in 
Kentucky. 

There  were  granted  to  sixty-two  of  our  Indian  scholars,  or 
those  who  had  been  such,  and  had  completed  their  course  of 
study,  reservations  of  land,  the  smallest  tract  containing  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  the  largest  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  The  aggregate  of  these  reservations  was  ten  thousand 
five  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which,  at  the  minimum  price  of 
Government  land,  equalled  thirteen  thousand  two  hundred  dol 
lars  in  value.  Five  hundred  dollars  worth  of  goods,  suitable 
for  clothing  and  bedding,  were  allowed  for  the  benefit  of  the 
pupils  of  our  school ;  this  favour  was  very  acceptable,  as  we 
were  in  want  of  such  articles. 

At  that  time  we  hoped  that  the  Putawatomies  would  soon  be 
located  in  a  suitable  and  permanent  home,  west  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  and  that  the  fruit  of  our  schools  could  there  be  settled 
about  us,  and  that  by  the  sales  of  their  reservations  of  land  they 
would  be  enabled  to  commence  business  in  the  new  country, 
above  the  discouragements  of  poverty.  The  preliminaries  of 
emigration,  as  the  sequel  will  disclose,  advanced  more  tardily 
than  we  had  anticipated,  on  which  account  the  ultimate  benefit 
derived  from  these  lands  by  the  owners  was  greatly  diminished. 
The  lands  were  to  be  selected  by  order  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States.  Mr.  Lykins  was  appointed  to  make  the  selec- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


291 


tions,  and  he  was  judicious  in  his  choice.  The  lands  were 
valuable.  The  Putawatomies  being  detained  in  their  original 
country  long  after  most  of  the  missionaries  had  gone  west,  and 
missionary  operations  had  been  discontinued  at  Carey,  the 
consequence  was,  these  youths  remained  there  without  guardi 
ans  of  their  interests.  The  country  filled  up  with  white  people. 
The  owners  sold  their  lands  to  whites,  and  in  many  instances 
consumed  the  proceeds  for  food  and  raiment,  while  they  were 
doing  nothing  for  their  own  substantial  benefit.  The  causes 
of  these  hurtful  delays  in  relation  to  the  permanent  location  of 
the  Indians  will  be  better  explained  hereafter.  Had  the  fruit 
of  our  schools  been  allowed  to  go  west  within  the  time  we  had 
reason  to  expect  it,  our  scheme  would  have  succeeded  equal  to 
the  hopes  in  which  it  originated. 

At  this  treaty,  General  J.  Paine,  a  respectable  gentleman 
from  Kentucky,  attended  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  some 
Indian  youths  for  the  Kentucky  school — none  from  the  Indi 
ans  in  those  regions  having  yet  entered  that  institution.  This 
gentleman  was  unsuccessful  in  his  undertaking,  and  was  about  to 
return  without  a  candidate  for  the  school,  when,  as  some  of  the 
provisions  of  the  treaty  for  education  were  designed  for  the 
benefit  of  that  institution,  and  as  nothing  could  be  realized 
without  scholars,  I  obtained  a  Putawatomie  boy  about  thirteen 
years  of  age  for  the  school.  I  was  required  to  pledge  my 
promise  to  the  parents  that  the  boy  should  be  well  treated,  &c. 

Pretty  soon  after  the  treaty,  it  was  believed  that  the  Miamies 
would  not  be  satisfied  with  the  application  of  their  funds  for 
education  outside  of  their  own  country,  and  the  design  was 
conceived  of  establishing  a  school  for  them  within  their  own 
limits.  With  the  agent,  General  Tipton,  [  made  an  arrange 
ment  by  which  we  were  to  be  employed  in  bringing  the  school 
into  operation,  and  that  it  should  be  managed  by  us,  in  connec 
tion  with  a  mission  among  the  Miamies.  This  was  a  scheme  in 
which  we  felt  a  deep  interest.  Our  missionary  labours  were 
commenced  among  the  Miamies,  and  among  them  we  had  de 
sired  to  locate.  In  locating  among  the  Putawatomies  and  Otta- 
was  we  had  been  compelled  to  abandon  about  twenty  Miamie 
youths  who  had  been  members  of  our  family,  many  of  whom 
had  made  encouraging  improvement  in  their  studies.  We  had 
left  the  vicinity  of  the  tribe  when  many  of  their  most  respecta 
ble  people  were  oft  repeating  their  entreaties  that  we  would 
settle  permanently  among  them;  and  we  had  promised,  if  prac 
ticable,  to  give  them  a  mission,  embracing  a  school,  &c.  We 
hoped  that  the  way  was  now  opening  for  the  accomplishment 


292  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

of  our  desires  in  these  respects.  But  all  ended  in  disappoint 
ment  ;  and  our  disappointments  in  relation  to  a  mission  among 
the  Miamies  were  chiefly  for  want  of  missionaries. 

Returning  from  the  treaty  spoken  of,  1  fell  in  company  with 
Mrs.  McCoy,  who  had  made  a  visit  to  the  white  settlements  in 
the  States  of  Indiana  and  Ohio,  chiefly  for  the  sake  of  a  little 
respite  from  labours  which  were  hearing  hard  upon  both  health 
and  spirits.  The  journey  from  and  to  the  missionary  station 
was  attended  by  the  usual  privations  of  spending  both  the  days 
and  the  nights  in  a  wilderness,  without  a  house  to  afford  accom 
modations  either  for  eating  or  sleeping.  On  our  return,  we 
found  Mr.  Leonard  Slater  and  Mrs.  Slater,  and  Miss  L.  Pur 
chase,  who  had  united  with  us  as  missionaries.  The  latter  was 
one  of  the  last  remnants  of  a  tribe  of  Massachusetts  Indians. 
She  had  no  knowledge  of  Indian  language  or  manners.  She 
was  intelligent,  and  well  educated  in  English,  and  felt  a  great 
desire  to  be  the  instrument  of  good  to  the  suffering  aborigines. 

Pocagin,  a  Pulawatomie  chief,  and  his  party,  had  commenced 
a  village  about  six  miles  from  the  mission,  and  manifested  a 
disposition  to  make  themselves  more  comfortable.  It  was  one 
of  our  places  of  preaching.  In  the  spring  of  1826,  we  were 
about  to  afford  them  some  assistance  in  making  improvements, 
when  one  of  those  white  men  that  are  commonly  hanging  about 
the  Indians,  for  the  sake  of  flaying  them,  like  crows  around  a 
carcass,  interfered,  and  made  a  contract  for  making  improve 
ments.  This  ended  in  disappointment  to  the  Indians.  Poca 
gin  again  applied  to  us,  and  in  November  we  hired  white  men 
to  erect  for  them  three  hewed  log  cabins,  and  to  fence  twenty 
acres  of  prairie  land.  The  Indians  promised  to  pay  them,  and 
for  the  payment  we  became  security.  We  saw  that  justice  was 
done  to  the  Indians  in  regard  to  price  and  the  good  perform 
ance  of  the  work,  and  we  subsequently  employed  our  team  and 
hands  to  plough  up  the  new  prairie  land  for  them.  We  also  pre 
sented  to  them  some  stock  hogs,  and  loaned  them  a  milch  cow 
for  their  encouragement  to  raise  stock. 

It  happened  this  autumn  that,  a  heavy  charge  in  missionary 
matters  devolved  upon  Mr.  Lykins.  In  securing  supplies  for 
Carey,  he  had  to  make  a  tour  of  one  hundred  miles  through 
the  wilderness,  to  Chicago ;  and,  in  order  to  render  a  similar 
service  to  Thomas,  made  a  journey  thither  by  way  of  the  lake. 
Up  to  the  last  of  November,  1826,  we  had  not  a  school  in 
operation  at  Thomas,  on  Grand  river.  WTe  had  had  for  some 
time  men  there  working  for  the  Ottawas,  and  preparing  build 
ings  for  ourselves ;  but  a  missionary  had  not  been  regularly 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


293 


labouring  there,  though  different  persons  had  at  divers  times 
visited  the  place  and  people.  It  now  appeared  necessary  that 
I  and  my  family,  including  Miss  Purchase,  should  go  to  that 
station,  and  remain  some  months,  in  order  to  put  the  station  into 
full  operation,  while  the  other  missionaries  would  remain  in 
charge  of  affairs  at  Carey. 

The  following  are  extracts  from  the  mission  journals  : 
"  We  now  look  towards  Grand  river,  and  we  do  it  with  dread* 
Winter  appears  to  be  fairly  set  in.  The  snow  is  about  six 
inches  deep,  which  must  greatly  increase  the  inconvenience  of 
a  journey  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  through  a  desert.  No 
food  for  our  horses,  and  probably  none  for  ourselves,  can,  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  be  obtained  on  the  way,  except  what 
we  carry  with  us.  There  is  also  danger  of  not  being  able  to 
find,  amidst  the  snow,  the  very  small  path  along  which  we  have 
to  travel.  Our  youngest  child,  in  the  arms  of  its  mother,  has 
been  for  more  than  a  month  severely  afflicted  with  sickness, 
All  things  considered,  we  really  fear  to  set  out.  Our  business 
has  prevented  us  from  starting  sooner  in  the  season,  when  our 
difficulties  in  travelling  might  have  been  fewer;  and  the  state 
of  our  affairs  is  such  as  to  forbid  delay.  The  Oltawas  are 
expecting  us,  and  must  not  be  disappointed. 

"  We  'started  on  the  28th  of  November,  1826.  Our  com 
pany  consisted  of  myself  and  wife,  and  three  small  children, 
Miss  Purchase,  an  Indian  girl,  Anthony  Rollo,  who  was  one  of 
our  Indian  scholars,  and  who  served  us  as  interpreter,  Mr.  J. 
F.  Polk,  who  was  a  gentleman  from  Washington,  engaged  in 
collecting  materials  for  a  history  of  the  Indians,  and  who  pro 
posed  to  teach  our  school  for  a  short  time,  our  blacksmith,  four 
hired  white  men,  and  an  Indian  boy.  We  had  five  horses  and 
a  small  one  horse  wagon,  and  we  drove  twenty-three  swine, 
intended  to  be  butchered  for  the  support  of  the  station.  In 
addition,  we  took  a  horse  load  of  provisions,  and  hired  an  ox 
team  to  convey  hay  and  corn  as  far  into  the  wilderness  as  they 
could  venture  to  go  without  being  in  danger  of  perishing  with 
hunger  on  their  return. 

"  We  found  the  travelling  bad,  particularly  on  account  of  the 
snow,  which  hung  heavily  on  the  bushes,  and  adhered  to  the 
feet  of  the  footmen  and  to  our  wheels.  Wagons  had  never 
before  gone  that  way.  On  the  second  day,  our  wagon  with  hay 
and  corn  mired,  and  occasioned  not  a  little  labour  to  extricate 
it ;  and  later  in  the  day,  my  one  horse  wagon,  with  my  wife  and 
three  children  in  it,  upset.  It  was  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  and  our 
situation  for  a  while  seemed  perilous.  The  mother  and  three 


294 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


children  were  all  fastened  beneath  the  carriage,  so  that  they 
could  not  easily  be  extricated.  The  infant  had  been  heard  to 
weep,  and  cease.  It  was  breathless  when  first  relieved,  but  soon 
recovered.  During  this  time  our  horse  was  lying  with  his  back 
down  the  hill,  in  a  position  from  which  he  could  not  recover 
without  our  assistance.  We  were  happy  to  find  that,  although 
we  were  a  little  bruised,  we  were  not  seriously  injured.  That 
night  we  pitched  our  tent  by  the  side  of  a  large  log,  and,  raking 
off  the  snow,  made  our  bed  on  the  earth.  We  carried  with  us 
implements  for  the  purpose  of  removing  the  snow. 

"  On  the  third  day,  November  30th,  Miss  Purchase  narrowly 
escaped  serious  injury  by  being  torn  from  her  horse  by  the  limb 
of  a  tree.  At  noon,  we  kindled  up  a  fire  to  warm  our  company, 
from  which  we  started  in  a  heavy  fall  of  snow.  In  the  distance 
of  half  a  mile  we  discovered  that  we  had  lost  our  way.  Most  of 
the  company  halted,  while  others  of  us  were  searching  the 
woods  around,  in  order  to  ascertain  which  way  we  ought  to 
travel.  The  snow  was  falling  so  fast  that  there  was  danger 
that  some  would  get  out  of  sight  of  the  rest,  and  not  be  able  to 
find  them  again,  and  might  perish.  We  therefore  hallooed  to 
each  other  frequently.  An  Indian  hunter,  hearing  us,  came  to 
us  just  as  we  had  found  the  appearance  of  a  small  track,  which 
we  supposed  might  be  the  proper  one  for  us,  and  we  were 
rejoiced  when  he  assured  us  that  we  were  not  mistaken.  Re 
lieved  from  our  anxiety,  Mr.  Polk  remarked,  that  'Providence 
had  sent  that  Indian  to  us,  for  our  relief.'  We  then  endeavoured 
to  hire  the  Indian  to  show  us  the  way  to  Grand  river.  We 
promised  to  reward  him  with  powder,  lead,  tobacco,  and  some 
articles  of  clothing.  In  order  to  rid  himself  of  our  importunity, 
he  promised  to  join  us  late  in  the  day,  but  we  heard  no  more 
of  him. 

"  December  1st.  The  fore  part  of  this  day  was  extremely 
uncomfortable.  About  nine  o'clock  we  found  it  necessary  to 
kindle  a  fire  for  the  purpose  of  warming  the  company.  Our 
infant  was  more  unwell  than  usual ;  under  the  influence  of  fever, 
it  wept  for  water;  but  we  were  in  a  place  where,  for  several 
hours,  none  could  be  obtained,  though  I  sent  a  man  to  every 
sink  that  appeared,  in  order  to  search  for  it.  We  were  then  in 
a  desert,  without  any  path.  Here  and  there  an  old  mark  on  the 
scattering  trees  were  the  only  indications  of  the  right  way. 

"  We  were  travelling  through  an  open  country,  where  we 
were  much  exposed  to  a  piercing  wind,  and  the  snow  retarded 
us  so  much  that  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  to  proceed.  Our 
sick  child  became  so  distressed  that  my  wife  began  to  entreat 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


295 


me  to  halt.  But  we  were  then  travelling  through  a  piece  of 
country  in  which  I  knew  we  should  soon  perish  with  cold  and 
for  want  of  water.  Without  stating  the  extent  of  my  uneasi 
ness  on  account  of  our  situation,  I  proposed  still  to  proceed  a 
little  and  a  little  further.  In  order  to  lighten  our  carriage  and 
facilitate  our  march,  I  walked  and  drove  it.  We  at  length 
reached  a  little  grove  of  oaks,  whose  proximity  to  each  other 
had  tended  to  diminish  the  quantity  of  snow  about  them,  and 
where  I  hoped  to  be  able  to  kindle  a  fire.  On  the  sides  of 
these  small  trees  we  hung  blankets,  to  break  the  chilling  wind, 
and  in  the  lee  we  soon  had  a  fire  burning.  In  the  meantime, 
our  man  in  search  of  water  had  been  successful  in  finding  what 
would  answer  our  purpose,  with  the  snow  which  we  were  now 
able  to  melt.  We  waited  till  the  hindmost  of  our  company  had 
come  up  and  refreshed  themselves,  and  again  proceeded  and 
encamped.  From  this  place,  the  wagoner,  who  had  come  with 
hay  and  corn  for  our  horses,  turned  back.  In  coming  thus  far 
he  had  deposited  hay  in  two  places  to  feed  his  oxen  as  he, 
should  be  returning.  Our  own  horses,  we  designed,  after 
reaching  Thomas,  to  send  back  to  Carey,  to  be  fed  during  the 
winter.  At  this  encampment  we  hid  a  little  corn,  for  their  use 
also  on  their  return. 

"  December  2d.  We  crossed  Kekenmazoo  river,  and  pitched 
our  tent  near  the  remains  of  one  of  those  ancient  fortifications 
which  are  numerous  in  these  countries.  This  was  more  ancient 
than  the  lofty  oaks  which  shaded  its  ruins.  It  had  been  a  fort, 
with  a  circular  wall  of  earth,  about  four  rods  in  diameter,  with 
one  gateway  near  a  beautiful  stream  of  water. 

"  December  3d.  Being  foremost,  1  was  misled  by  marks  ot> 
the  trees  made  by  hunters,  which  I  mistook  for  those  I  ought  to 
have  followed.  I  had  a  Frenchman  with  me,  on  foot,  to  aid 
me  in  breaking  the  road.  In  searching  for  way  marks,  the 
Frenchman  soon  became  separated  from  me,  but,  fortunately  for 
us,  I  had  been  in  that  wilderness  before,  and  knew  pretty  well 
in  what  direction  to  drive  my  small  wagon,  which  contained  my 
family,  though  it  was  not  a  very  convenient  condition  to  be  in 
without  assistance.  Reaching  a  small  lake  which  I  knew,  I 
kindled  a  fire,  and  after  waiting  some  time  we  were  overtaken 
by  our  Frenchman,  and  still  later  by  our  Indian  boy,  and  two 
other  footmen,  at  different  arrivals.  The  rest  of  the  company, 
who  had  charge  of  our  drove  of  swine,  had  taken  another  road. 
I  sent  after  them,  and  after  we  had  passed  through  an  Indian 
village,  from  v/hich  all  the  inhabitants  were  absent,  as  is  cus- 


296  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

tomary  with  these  Indians  at  this  season  of  the  year,  we  en 
camped. 

"  December  4th.  Miss  Purchase,  our  Indian  girl,  Indian 
boy,  and  interpreter,  on  horseback,  and  a  hired  white  man  on 
foot,  started  early,  and  by  a  hard  day's  journey  reached 
Thomas.  Our  way  had  now  become  more  difficult  for  our 
carnage ;  all  within  had  frequently  to  quit  it  in  difficult  places. 
Fatigued  every  evening,  we  hastened  to  repose,  and  soon  in 
sweet  slumber  lost  sight  of  the  wintry  woods  around  us. 

"  December  5th.  Hid  a  little  corn  in  the  woods,  for  the 
purpose  of  feeding  our  horses  as  they  should  be  returning  to 
Carey.  About  eleven  o'clock  we  were  met  by  Mr.  Lykins 
and  two  men  to  assist  us,  and  some  fresh  provisions,  all  which 
were  acceptable.  We  crossed  Grand  river  in  a  periogue,  and 
that  night  rested  in  our  own  houses,  after  a  dreary  journey  of 
eight  days." 

Some  of  the  neighbouring  Indians  had  requested  that  our 
trumpet  should  be  blown  on  our  arrival,  that  they  might  have 
an  early  opportunity  of  calling  to  shake  our  hands.  But  we  pre 
ferred  rest  to  compliments.  The  news  of  our  arrival,  how 
ever,  reaching  the  neighbouring  village,  a  few  called  on  us, 
though  late  in  the  evening,  and  in  the  village  the  drum  was 
beaten  all  night,  as  a  token  of  rejoicing. 

On  the  following  day,  Noonday,  Blackskin,  principal  chiefs, 
and  many  others,  men,  women,  and  children,  visited  us,  and 
bade  us  welcome  to  their  country.  They  desired  to  see  us 
again,  when  our  circumstances  would  allow  the  transaction  of 
business;  and  the  day  being  agreed  upon,  they  departed  happy 
that  we  had  arrived,  while  we  were  no  less  happy  in  being 
allowed  the  peculiar  privilege  of  bearing  the  tidings  of  salva 
tion  to  a  poor  and  almost  friendless  people. 

Mr.  Lykins,  with  a  hired  Frenchman,  had  left  Carey  on  the 
20th  of  October,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  supplies  to  Thomas, 
and  of  putting  our  buildings  there  in  such  order  as  would  admit 
of  our  wintering  in  them.  At  the  mouth  of  St.  Joseph's  river 
he  put  his  property  and  a  large  periogue  on  board  of  a  schoo 
ner,  and  had  them  conveyed,  on  Lake  Michigan,  to  the  mouth  of 
Grand  river.  The  schooner  anchored  a  mile  from  shore  ;  the 
periogue  was  lowered  into  the  water,  and,  being  loaded,  was 
towed  ashore  by  the  long  boat,  while  the  waves  run  so  high  as 
to  threaten  to  turn  all  into  the  lake.  Three  trips  to  and  from 
the  vessel  got  all  ashore,  but  not  without  wetting  both  men  and 
goods.  They  had  barely  landed  the  last  of  the  property,  when 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  297 

a  storm  of  wind  and  rain  so  raised  the  sea,  that  it  was  with  diffi 
culty  Mr.  Lykins,  who  was  suffering  much  pain  from  a  sprained 
ankle,  and  his  Frenchman,  could  secure  the  property  by  con 
veying  it  further  up  on  the  beach.  Had  the  schooner  been  one 
hour  later  in  reaching  the  place,  the  property  could  not  have 
been  landed,  Mr.  Lykins  would  have  been  carried  in  the  schoo 
ner  to  Mackinaw,  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  lake,  unable 
to  return  before  the  following  spring,  and  our  missionary  station 
at  Grand  river  would  have  been  left  destitute  of  supplies.  But 
the  Lord  had  "  gathered  the  winds  in  his  fists,  and  bound  the 
waters  in  a  garment." 

Extracts  from  Mr.  Lykins' 's  journal. 

"  November  14,  1826.  Succeeded  in  getting  our  goods  a 
mile  or  two  up  Grand  river,  to  a  trading  house,  but  could  not 
obtain  a  shelter  for  them. 

"November  15th.  Sent  my  Frenchman  up  to  Thomas,  to 
procure  assistance.  In  the  night  of  the  16th  he  returned,  with 
men  and  another  canoe.  Could  not  travel,  on  account  of  the 
snow  and  rain,  until  late  on  the  18th.  Our  friend  Gosa,  having 
heard  that  I  was  on  the  river,  came  down  in  a  bark  canoe,  and, 
taking  me  on  board,  hoisted  a  sail,  which  enabled  us  soon  to 
leave  the  other  crafts  out  of  sight.  In  the  afternoon  we  had 
snow.  I  halted  and  made  a  fire  for  the  benefit  of  the  men  in 
the  canoes  behind,  when  they  should  come  up.  They  became 
so  chilled,  that  they  deemed  it  prudent  to  halt,  to  keep  from 
perishing ;  but  they  had  become  so  benumbed  with  cold  that 
they  could  not  make  fire.  There  remained  no  alternative, 
therefore,  but  either  to  assume  courage,  and  push  forward  their 
canoe  against  the  stream,  or  to  perish.  They  succeeded  in 
reaching  my  fire. 

"  November  19th.  It  continues  to  snow,  and  the  weather 
is  so  cold  that  we  remain  here  to-day.  We  are  at  a  village  at 
which  only  one  man  is  found,  all  the  other  inhabitants  being 
absent  on  their,  winter's  hunt.  The  village  contains  nine 
houses,  constructed  of  pine  timber  let  into  guttered  posts,  and 
covered  with  bark.  The  solitary  occupant  showed  us  as  much 
hospitality  as  his  place  would  allow,  giving  us  a  shelter  for  our 
persons  and  property,  and  inviting  us  to  remain  during  the 
storm.  Noonday,  having  heard  of  my  approach,  also  came 
down  the  river  in  his  canoe,  and  met  me  at  this  village  with  his 
wife  and  children,  and  assisted  in  making  our  quarters  com 
fortable. 

"  Here  I  discovered,  in  the  comer  of  a  house,  a  wooden 

38  -SB^3 


298 


HISTUHY  OF   BAFT 1ST 


image,  seven  and  a  half  feet  high,  facing  the  south.  The 
upper  part  is  shaped  like  a  man's  head  and  face.  From  the 
shoulders  down,  it  is  a  pillar  of  equal  thickness,  hollowed 
somewhat  on  the  back,  which  makes  the  upper  and  lower  ex 
tremities  incline  a  liitle  backward.  The  nose  is  aquiline,  and 
broad  at  the  face.  A  bunch  of  feathers  of  the  tail  of  an  eagle 
is  suspended  from  the  right  shoulder,  and  on  the  back  of  the 
neck  hangs  a  bunch  of  some  other  kind  of  feathers,  and  on  the 
left  shoulder  is  tied  a  piece  of  tobacco.  Spots  of  dark  red 
supply  the  place  of  eyes,  and  a  spot  of  the  same  is  made  upon 
each  cheek.  A  line  of  the  same  runs  from  the  left  shoulder 
diagonally  across  the  breast,  and  returns  by  a  lower  stroke  to 
the  same  side.  It  bore  the  appearance  of  antiquity,  as  it  was 
beginning  to  decay.  The  ground  around  it  appeared  to  be  a 
dancing  place.  I  suppose  that  this  is  an  idol  which  is  worshipped  ; 
this  is  the  only  thing  of  the  kind  that  I  have  ever  seen  among 
the  Indians.* 

"We  reached  Thomas  on  the  21st,  and  the  day  following  I 
sent  a  canoe  back  to  the  lake  for  the  remainder  of  our  property. 
1  have  been  amused  and  affected  by  children  and  others  swarm 
ing  about  me,  and  addressing  me  as  I  pass  them  with,  '  Bozho 
Meketa  koneah  ?'  (How  do  you  do,  preacher?") 

On  the  llth  of  January,  we  held  a  general  council  on 
business.  Much  was  said  on  both  sides,  and  with  very  good 
feeling.  Noonday  led  the  way  in  the  speeches  of  his  people, 
who  remarked  :  "  My  brother,  I  wish  you  to  listen  to  what  I 
have  to  say  ;  and  I  hope  you  will  not  be  offended  at  any  thing 
I  shall  say,  for  I  shall  be  careful  not  to  wound  your  feelings. 
I  remember  your  promises  to  us;  I  have  forgotten  nothing. 
You  said  you  would  help  us  to  build  houses,  make  fence, 
plough,  and  such  like  things,  besides  giving  us  a  blacksmith,  a 
school,  and  a  preacher.  I  have  seen  the  beginning  of  the  fulfil 
ment  of  your  promises — have  seen  a  little  done.  We  are  all 
rejoiced  that  you  have  come  to  live  among  us,  and  hope  that 
we  shall  realize  the  whole.  You  have  told  us  to  be  good,  and 
I  tell  you  that  ever  since,  you  first  talked  to  me  about  God,  I 
have  been  trying  to  be  good  ;  and  since  that  time,  I  and  a  few 
others  of  my  people  have  often  endeavoured  to  persuade  others 
to  become  good  also.  For  my  own  part,  I  acknowledge  that 
I  know  nothing  correctly  about  the  Great  Spirit,  and  I  am  glad 
that  you  have  come  to  live  among  us,  and  regularly  preach  to 
us  about  him. 

*  There  is  good  reason  to  believe,  that  among  the  aborigines  of  America, 
especially  thosa  north  of  Mexico,  idol  worship  was  unknown  prior  to  their 
acquaintance  with  Europeans.  See  remarks  on  idol  worship,  p.  12. 


INDIAN   MISSIONS.  299 

"  In  regard  to  the  school,  I  say  I  wish  our  children  to  be 
instructed  like  the  whites ;  then  these  educated  children  will 
become  capable  of  assisting  us  in  the  transaction  of  business 
with  white  people. 

"  My  brother,  when  you  promised  to  favour  us,  because  our 
heads  might  forget,  you  put  your  words  on  paper,  which  could 
not  forget  them.  Look  at  this  paper,  (taking  it  from  his  bosom, 
carefully  enveloped,)  and  see  if  it  is  the  same  you  gave  me; 
notice  if  we  have  forgotten  any  thing  you  promised  us." 

I  told  him  that  I  had  made  that  paper,  and  it  contained  my 
name.  I  was  now  prepared  to  complete  the  fulfilment  of  all 
that  it  promised.  There  is  the  blacksmith,  there  are  the  labour 
ers,  there  are  the  milch  cattle,  the  oxen,  ploughs,  chains,  and 
other  farming  and  mechanical  tools  ;  the  school  will  be  opened 
in  a  few  days ;  and  I  am  here  ready  to  preach  to  you. 

On  the  12th  of  December,  Mr.  Lykins  left  us,  to  return  to 
Carey.  The  buildings  not  being  finished  on  our  arrival,  our 
school  was  not  opened  until  the  25th  of  December,  when  we 
commenced  with  five  Indian  scholars,  and  one  of  our  hired  white 
men.  The  latter  entered  the  school  with  a  view  of  qualifying 
himself  for  missionary  labours.  He  was  one  of  those  who  had 
lately  embraced  religion  at  Carey,  and  we  were  much  gratified 
with  the  hope  that  some  missionaries  might  be  raised  up  on 
missionary  ground.  He  received  an  appointment,  improved  his 
education  somewhat,  remained  in  connection  with  us  some  twelve 
or  eighteen  months,  and  retired  from  missionary  labours. 

Our  scholars  were  fed  and  clothed  by  the  mission ;  and, 
under  our  circumstances,  many  could  not  be  accommodated. 
By  the  1st  of  April  the  scholars  had  increased  to  fifteen. 

Our  communication  with  the  civilized  world  was  by  way 
of  Carey,  to  which  place  we  occasionally  hired  our  friend  Gosa 
to  go  express.  The  snow  being  sometimes  a  foot  and  a  half 
deep,  or  more,  travelling  was  chiefly  performed  on  snow  shoes.* 
It  required  twelve  days  for  our  first  express  to  make  the  tour  to 
Carey  and  back,  and  our  second  was  nineteen  clays  in  performing 

*  A  snow  shoe  is  constructed  by  bending  a  light  piece  of  tough  wood,  so 
as  to  resemble  in  shaps,  somewhat,  the  profile  of  a  pear,  though  narrower  in 
proportion  to  length ;  about  two  feet  and  a  half  in  length,  and  a  foot  in  width 
at  the  broadest  place.  The  interior  is  filled  with  a  webbing  of  leather  strings, 
not  unlike  a  ratan  chair  bottom.  The  foot  is  placed  on  the  webbing,  and 
fastened  by  a  string  near  the  broad  end  of  the  shoa.  The  surface  of  the  shoe 
is  such  that  the  person  is  sustained  and  walks  upon  the  top  of  the  snow. 
On  raising  the  foot,  the  narrow  end  of  the  shoe  trails  on  the  snow.  Con 
siderable  practice  is  necessary  to  enable  a  person  to  use  them,  and  even  then 
the  weight  is  tiresome  to  the  traveller,  but  causes  much  less  fatigue  Mian  if 
he  were  to  sink  into  the  snow  at  every  step. 


300  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

it.    The  cold  at  our  station  was  extremely  severe,  and  our  dwell 
ings  were  not  sufficiently  warm  for  such  weather. 

On  the  20th  of  January,  1827,  Mr.  Lykins  wrote  us  from 
Carey  as  follows :  ''  The  winter  thus  far  has  been  the  most  se 
vere  that  we  have  ever  experienced  at  this  place.  The  snow 
is  two  feet  deep.  It  is  said  that  the  Indians  on  Tiaukakeek* 
river  are  actually  starving  to  death.  The  snow  is  so  deep  as  to 
preclude  every  chance  of  taking  muskrats — their  only  means  of 
subsistence,  at  that  place,  at  this  season  of  the  year.  Seven  of 
the  poor  creatures,  who  lately  abandoned  that  place  in  search 
of  a  better,  are  now  here.  So  distressing  is  the  tale  of  their 
sufferings,  that  the  subject  has  spontaneously  become  a  mat 
ter  of  prayer  with  the  missionaries,  that  God  would  feed  them 
and  take  care  of  them,  as  he  does  of  the  young  ravens  that 
cry." 

On  the  8th  of  January,  I  contracted  a  cold  which  threatened 
to  prove  mortal,  and  from  the  effects  of  it  I  have  never  fully 
recovered.  Four  weeks  after  the  attack  I  was  unable  to  preach, 
except  feebly,  from  my  chair.  Nearly  a  year  previous  to  this 
time,  we  had  opened  a  correspondence  with  the  Rev.  Pharcel- 
lus  Church,  relative  to  placing  two  of  our  Indian  boys  in  a  medi 
cal  institution  at  Castleton,  in  the  State  of  Vermont.  The  boys 
had  been  selected  on  the  6th  of  June,  1826,  and  we  had  been 
making  arrangements  for  Mr.  Lykins  to  take  them  to  Vermont 
the  present  winter.  They  were  not  to  be  placed  there  at  the 
expense  of  the  board,  benevolent  friends  in  that  quarter  having 
nobly  offered  to  meet  the  expense  of  their  living  and  education. 
Out  of  respect  to  the  board,  we  had  asked  their  approbation, 
and  solicited  for  liberty  to  apply  so  much  of  the  means  produced 
by  our  own  efforts  and  industry  as  would  meet  the  travelling 
expenses  incurred  in  conveying  them  to  Vermont,  unless  the 
board  should  prefer  making  a  direct  appropriation  for  that  object. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  1827,  a  letter  from  the  correspond 
ing  secretary  of  the  board  reached  Carey,  disapproving  of  our 
design  of  sending  the  boys  to  Vermont.  We  were  exceedingly 
sorry  that  our  patrons  had  taken  a  view  of  the  subject  so  differ 
ent  from  our  own.  The  reasons  which  were  assigned  for  their 
decision  were  by  no  means  satisfactory  to  us,  some  of  which 
were,  that  by  sending  Indian  youths  abroad  to  complete  literary 
or  professional  education,  we  were  "occupying  the  attention 
and  diverting  the  means  [of  benevolence]  of  various  sections  of 
the  country  to  particular  objects,"  which  they  thought  would 
"  be  attended  with  mischievous  consequences ;"  because  there 

*  By  corruption  called  Kankakee. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


301 


"  would  soon  be  no  ground  left  to  the  great  foreign  purposes  of 
the  mission." 

We,  too,  felt  a  deep  interest  in  foreign  missions,  and  claimed 
the  honour  of  not  being  second  to  any  in  our  esteem  for  the  mis 
sionaries  who  were  labouring  in  foreign  fields,  in  our  admiration 
of  their  devotion  and  self-denial,  and  in  the  ardour  of  our  de 
sires  for  their  success;  but  we  supposed  that  placing  some  select 
youths  from  among  our  heathen,  in  the  white  settlements,  to 
qualify  them  for  superior  usefulness  among  their  heathen  kin 
dred,  so  far  from  producing  the  result  Apprehended  by  the  board, 
would  promote  a  spirit  of  benevolence  favourable  to  missions, 
both  foreign  and  on  our  own  continent.  The  fear  that  we  should 
monopolize  public  attention,  and  public  munificence,  was  thought 
to  be  not  well  founded.  Moreover,  we  had  consecrated  all  the  life 
and  labour  that  God  would  allow  us  to  the  temporal  and  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  Indians.  While  the  board  justly  contemplated 
the  objects  of  foreign  missions  as  being  "great"  as  they  chose 
to  designate  them,  we  felt  that  the  considerations  involved  in 
missions  to  the  Indians  ought  not  to  be  esteemed  small.  It  was 
a  duty  which  we  could  not  dispense  with,  even  to  avoid  the 
sacrifice  of  feeling  which  we  must  make  in  departing  from  the 
instructions  of  the  board,  to  do  all  that  we  possibly  could  for 
the  benefit  of  the  people  of  our  charge.  We  did  not  claim  the 
right  of  adopting  measures  of  our  own,  contrary  to  their  instruc 
tions,  at  their  cost ;  this  had  not  been  contemplated.  We  had 
made  great  exertions  to  obtain  the  means  of  support,  and  from 
April,  1824,  up  to  that  time — nearly  three  years — the  board 
had  applied  to  our  use  no  other  funds  than  properly  belonged 
to  our  stations,  and  which  could  not,  without  our  consent,  be 
applied  any  where  else.  According  to  these  views,  and  with 
out  any  feeling  of  disrespect  towards  our  patrons,  though  differ 
ing  from  them  in  judgment,  Mr.  Lykins,  on  the  25th  of  January, 
1827,  started  from  Carey,  for  Vermont,  with  the  two  candidates 
for  a  medical  education.  Their  English  names  were  Francis 
Barrow  and  Thomas  Baldwin. 

A  journey  into  a  region  still  further  north,  at  this  season  of 
the  year,  was  attended  with  much  suffering,  but  it  could  not  be 
made  in  the  summer,  as  the  labours  of  the  missionaries  were 
then  so  pressing  that  Mr.  Lykins  could  not  be  absent.  They 
went  by  way  of  Detroit,  and  thence  through  Canada  to  Queens- 
ton,  where  they  recrossed  to  the  United  States.  It  was  the 
15th  of  April  before  Mr.  Lykins  got  back  to  Carey. 

The  boys  were  well  received,  and  found  benevolent  friends, 
who  took  pleasure  in  helping  to  rescue  the  aboriginal  race  from 


302 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


threatened  extinction,  and  who  rejoiced  that  an  opportunity  was 
afforded  for  the  exercise  of  these  best  feelings  of  Christian  man. 
They  were  making  proficiency  in  study  that  promised  future 
usefulness,  to  reward  the  kindness  of  their  benefactors,  when  it 
appeared  the  pleasure  of  Heaven  to  take  them  both  away  by 
pulmonary  consumption.  Their  loss  we  felt  to  be  a  severe 
stroke.  We  had  daily  and  painful  evidence  of  the  want  of  phy 
sicians  among  the  Indians ;  and  in  the  medical  department,  as 
well  as  every  other,  it  was  an  opinion  which  experience  had 
confirmed,  that  natives,  suitably  qualified,  could  be  more  useful 
than  persons  introduced  into  the  Indian  country  from  other 
nations. 

It  became  necessary  for  me  to  make  a  journey  to  Carey, 
which  I  commenced  on  the  5th  of  March.  After  spending 
three  nights  in  the  wilderness,  and  swimming  our  horses  across 
Grand  river,  Kekenmazoo,  and  the  St.  Joseph's,  we  found  our 
selves  at  Carey,  and  were  much  gratified,  to  perceive  all  things 
prosperous,  Sunday,  March  the  llth,  was  a  pleasant  day  at  that 
place.  Public  religious  exercises  commenced  a  little  after  nine 
in  the  morning,  and  continued  until  between  two  and  three  in 
the  afternoon ;  within  which  time  Jacob  French,  one  of  our 
hired  white  men,  was  baptized,  in  presence  of  a  large  company 
of  red  and  white  people,  and  the  Lord's  supper  was  celebrated. 
I  returned  to  Thomas  on  the  20th  of  March,  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Meeker.  Mrs.  McCoy  was  at  this  time  in  poor  health. 

In  travelling  from  one  of  our  stations  to  the  other,  we  passed 
by  a  lake,  which  was  supposed  by  the  Ottawas  to  be  the  abode 
of  spirits,  who  sometimes  performed  strange  feats.  It  was  by 
them  called  Gun  lake,  because,  as  they  said,  a  noise  was  often 
heard  in  it,  like  the  report  of  a  gun  at  a  distance.  In  one  place 
they  said  there  was  a  large  heap  of  ashes,  the  summit  of  which 
rose  almost  to  the  surface  of  the  water.  They  supposed  it  had 
probably  been  accumulating  hundreds  of  years,  by  being  carried 
from  a  fire  which  they  thought  might  be  kept  up  near  it.  It 
was  said,  also,  that  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree  had  been  standing 
in  the  water  many  years,  the  top  of  which  extended  a  little 
above  the  water.  It  was  supposed  to  be  held  there  by  some 
supernatural  agency,  and,  should  any  one  have  the  temerity  to 
approach  it,  his  canoe  would  be  certainly  capsized  by  an  invisi 
ble  hand. 

At  that  time,  (March  llth,)  it  was  reported  that,  on  the 
margin  of  this  enchanted  lake,  a  tree  had  been  set  on  fire,  pro 
bably  by  lightning,  the  previous  autumn,  which  had  been  burn 
ing  all  winter,  from  the  top  downward,  until  the  stump  of  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


303 


tree  was  not  more  than  ten  feet  high.  The  snow  in  the  coun 
try  had  been,  all  winter,  about  two  feet  deep,  yet,  according  to 
this  spirit  story,  the  earth  had  been  bare  for  a  considerable 
distance  around  this  burning  tree.  Great  fears  were  felt  that 
when  the  fire  should  burn  down  to  the  earth,  the  ground  would 
become  ignited,  and  the  fire  be  found  to  be  unquenchable ;  it 
being  evident,  as  they  said,  that  it  was  a  kind  of  fire  which  water 
would  not  quench. 

On  the  evening  of  the  llth  of  February,  1827,  there  was 
noticed  in  the  vicinity  of  Thomas  a  meteor,  or,  as  it  is  com 
monly  called,  a  shooting  star,  which  resembled  a  ball  of  fire 
more  than  meteors  usually  do.  In  its  passage  a  sound  was 
heard,  which,  on  its  disappearance,  resembled  an  explosion, 
such  as  is  common  in  connection  with  these  phenomena.  This 
alarmed  our  Ottawa  neighbours.  Noonday  called  on  me  the 
next  day,  to  ask  my  opinion  concerning  it.  "  Was  it  ominous 
of  distress  ?  Did  the  good  book  give  any  information  on  the 
subject?"  &ic.,  were  among  his  inquiries. 

Between  Carey  and  Thomas,  on  the  7th  of  March,  curiosity 
attracted  me  to  a  neat  little  house  of  poles  in  a  grave-yard,  in 
the  east  end  of  which  a  small  hole  was  made,  not  much  larger 
than  necessary  to  admit  a  mouse.  Through  this  aperture  we 
could  see,  wrapped  in  a  blanket,  the  skeleton  in  a  sitting  atti 
tude,  with  its  face  towards  the  little  window.  It  was  the  skele 
ton  of  a  Putawatomie,  who  had  died  about  two  years  before. 

In  relation  to  diseases,  their  causes,  and  cure,  the  Ottawas  and 
neighbouring  tribes  are  exceedingly  ignorant  and  superstitious. 
A  charm,  some  kind  of  conjuration,  incantation,  or  witchcraft, 
is  always  associated  with  the  application  of  means  for  the  reco 
very  of  the  sick ;  indeed,  so  much  importance  seems  to  be 
attached  to  these  mystic  matters,  that  commonly  their  agency 
appears  to  be  principally  relied  on  for  effecting  the  cure.  The 
idea,  which  has  gained  too  much  credit  with  the  whites,  that  the 
Indians  are,  in  many  instances,  skilful  physicians,  is  preposte 
rous.  Indians  of  sound  judgment  are  generally  sensible  of  this, 
and  avail  themselves  of  the  better  skill  of  the  missionaries,  even 
of  those  who  make  no  pretensions  to  the  science  of  medicine  ; 
nevertheless,  among  those  poor,  ignorant  people,  instances  fre 
quently  occur  strongly  marking  the  tenacity  of  the  natives  to 
their  superstitions  in  regard  to  this  as  well  as  other  matters. 
Any  disease  which  becomes  located,  so  as  to  produce  a  sore, 
swelling,  or  pain,  in  one  particular  place,  is  attributed  to  the 
existence  of  small  vermicujar  insects. 

Near  our  station  on  Grand  river,  a  poor  Ottawa  woman,  to 


304 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


whose  comfort  the  female  missionaries  often  administered,  lin 
gered  and  died  with  pulmonary  consumption.  She  was  related 
to  Noonday,  the  chief  of  the  village.  The  latter  one  day  in 
formed  me,  previous  to  her  death,  that  her  afflictions  were  occa 
sioned  by  the  existence  of  small  worms,  the  size  of  which  he 
described  to  me  with  much  confidence,  and  represented  them  to 
be  about  half  an  inch  long,  and  collected  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  lungs.  He  stated  that  on  the  preceding  day,  Goauboi,  who 
was  something  of  a  conjuring  doctor,  had  applied  a  hollow  tube 
to  the  outside  of  the  woman's  chest,  and,  by  enchantment  and 
suction,  had  extracted  one  of  those  mischievous  vermin.  I 
asked  if  it  had  required  a  great  effort  to  dislodge  the  one  which 
they  had  taken  ?  He  replied,  not  very  great,  but  it  would  be 
impossible  to  extract  them  all,  and  therefore  the  woman  would 
probably  die. 

In  our  fields,  at  Thomas,  we  ploughed  up  pieces  of  earthen 
ware,  made  by  the  natives  long  before  the  recollection  of  any 
living;  none  of  those  tribes  have  manufactured  earthen  ves 
sels  since  the  discovery  of  America  by  the  whites.  The  Otta- 
was,  more  or  fewer  of  whom  were  always  about  our  house, 
noticed  that,  with  some  interest,  we  examined  ancient  fortifica 
tions,  mounds,  &c.,  and  preserved  with  care  specimens  of  this 
earthen  ware  of  ancient  manufacture.  These  circumstances 
elicited  some  traditionary  tales  respecting  these  matters.  Our 
friend  Gosa  related  the  following,  which  was,  probably,  believed 
by  many : 

"  Three  ages  ago,  that  is,  when  the  grandfather  of  him  who 
is  now  an  old  man  was  born,  some  Ottawas  at  this  place,  (Rap 
ids  of  Grand  river,  Michigan,)  experiencing  great  inconvenience 
on  account  of  having  no  vessel  in  which  they  could  prepare 
their  food,  set  about  making  a  pot  of  earth.  The  vessel  being 
placed  over  the  fire,  broke.  Other  trials  were  made  to  con 
struct  a  substantial  vessel,  all  of  which  were  unsuccessful ;  none 
yet  could  be  made  impervious  to  fluids,  or  that  would  resist  the 
action  of  fire.  After  two  days'  fruitless  labour,  and  when  the  work 
men  were  hungry  for  want  of  a  vessel  in  which  to  prepare  their 
food,  they  sat  down  in  despair  and  wept.  On  a  night,  not  long 
after,  a  spirit  appeared  to  one  of  them  in  a  dream,  and  inquired, 
*  Why  do  you  weep  ?'  The  sleeper  answered,  '  Because  I  am 
poor — I  have  no  pot.  Why  did  you  create  me  and  place  me 
here,  to  suffer  poverty  and  disappointment,  without  remedy?' 
The  spirit  pointed  down  the  lakes,  and  said,  '  Go  in  that  direc 
tion,  and  I  will  accompany  you,  and  you  shall  find  relief.' 
They  set  off,  and  the  spirit,  unperceived  by  day,  accompanied 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


305 


them,  and  conversed  with  them  every  night.  They  passed  the 
islands  of  Mackinaw  and  Montreal,  and  reached  Quebec.  At 
the  latter  place  they  found  the  French,  who  extended  to  them 
the  hand  of  friendship,  and  who  furnished  them  with  an  iron 
pot,  to  which  were  added  other  useful  articles  of  which  they  had 
previously  been  destitute.  Their  spiritual  guide  having  fulfilled 
his  errand  of  kindness,  now  discontinued  his  communion." 

B d  is  a  Frenchman,  slightly  related  to  the  Indians,  and 

married  to  a  Putawatomie  woman.  He  was  employed  to  assist 
in  collecting  some  of  the  Putawatomies,  and  in  conducting  them 
to  the  treaty  of  Wabash,  in  the  autumn  of  1826.  While  we 
were  upon  the  treaty  ground,  he  related  to  me  the  following 
story,  with  a  seriousness  which  forbid  the  suspicion  that  a  doubt 
rested  on  his  mind  in  relation  to  its  truth : 

"  After  their  company  was  formed,  which  consisted  of  four 
or  five  hundred  souls,  they  set  out  for  the  treaty  ground,  com 
pelled  by  circumstances  to  travel  slowly.  Within  the  first 
three  days'  journey,  their  most  expert  hunters,  to  the  number 
sometimes  of  fifty,  with  their  utmost  vigilance,  were  unable  to 
kill  a  deer.  They  saw  game,  and  often  shot  at  it,  but  killed 
nothing.  The  consequence  was,  that  they  began  to  be  dis 
tressed  for  want  of  food.  Soon  after  the  company  halted  to 
encamp  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day,  Saugana,  a  well  known 
chief,  fell  asleep,  and  slumbered  soundly  through  the  night, 
On  the  following  morning  he  informed  the  company  that  in  a 
dream  a  person  had  acquainted  him  with  the  cause  which  had 
rendered  their  hunting  unsuccessful,  which  was  an  error  in  Che- 
bass,  a  celebrated  chief,  who  had  been  the  principal  agent  in 
prevailing  on  them  to  set  off  on  the  journey,  to  attend  a  place 
at  which  business  of  importance  was  to  be  transacted,  and  had 
neglected  to  make  a  sacrificial  feast  before  they  started.  He  had 
started  on  this  important  journey,  the  dreamer  said,  as  a  white 
man  would,  without  making  any  religious  preparation  ;  and  for 
this  dereliction  of  duty  the  whole  company  had  been  rebuked 
by  being  left  by  the  Great  Spirit  to  realize  the  scarcity  of  food. 
In  order  to  propitiate  the  Deity,  Chebass  must  fast  that  day. 
Twelve  men,  neither  more  nor  fewer,  with  faces  blacked, 
indicative  of  hunger  and  want,  and  of  their  devotion,  must  pro 
ceed  to  their  hunting,  six  of  them  on  each  side  of  the  road 
along  which  the  company  had  to  travel.  By  the  time  the  sun 
had  risen  to  a  height  pointed  out  in  the  heavens,  [we  would  say 
about  9  o'clock,]  Saugana  said  they  would  have  killed  four  deer. 
He  assured  them  that  such  would  be  the  fact,  because  he  had 
seen  in  the  vision  four  deer  lying  dead. 
39 


306  IUSTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

"  The  hunters  set  off  according  to  instructions,  killed  the  four 
deer  within  the  time  spoken  of,  and  brought  them  to  the  com 
pany.  A  general  hah  was  called.  The  four  deer,  including 
head,  legs,  feet,  &,c.,  were  all  boiled  at  the  same  time,  and 
feasting  immediately  followed,  in  which  all  participated,  each 
receiving  a  portion  meted  out,  excepting  Chebass.  The  feast 
was  considered  his,  and  on  that  account  it  was  necessary  for 
him  to  fast  until  the  sun  had  gone  down.  Several  speeches 
were  made  during  the  festival.  About  noon  of  the  same  day 
the  company  resumed  their  march  ;  and  on  the  following  day 
they  killed  five  deer  and  one  bear,  and  during  the  two  or  three 
remaining  days  of  their  journey  had  plenty." 

In  April,  Mr.  Lykins  visited  us  at  Thomas,  and  Mr.  Meeker, 
who  had  for  a  while  been  our  school  teacher,  returned  with  him 
to  Carey.  I  was  then  compelled  to  go  into  the  school  myself. 
Our  scholars  increased  to  twenty-one.  By  the  20th  of  May, 
we  had  made  some  improvement  in  our  buildings;  had  fenced 
over  fifteen  acres  of  land,  ten  or  eleven  acres  of  which  we  had 
planted  in  corn,  potatoes,  and  other  vegetables.  It  so  happened 
that,  contrary  to  our  expectation  and  that  of  the  Ottawas, 
the  two  labourers  for  these  people,  provided  by  the  treaty  of 
Chicago,  were  recalled  for  a  lew  months  at  this  busy  season  of 
the  year,  on  account  of  some  temporary  deficiency  in  regard  to 
funds  to  pay  them,  which  occurred  in  the  Department  of  Indian 
Affairs.  Not  anticipating  this,  we  had  promised  the  Ottawas 
assistance,  and  we  were  unwilling  to  disappoint  them,  especially 
as  they  seemed  willing,  with  some  encouragement,  to  work  a 
great  deal  more  for  themselves  than  they  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  doing.  We  therefore  kept  one  plough  constantly,  and  some 
times  two,  running  for  them. 

I  had  been  exceedingly  anxious,  from  rny  first  entering  the 
Indian  country,  to  acquire  such  a  knowledge  of  the  language  of 
those  among  whom  I  resided,  as  would  enable  me  to  converse 
with  them  with  ease.  While  at  Grand  river,  I  pressed  into  this 
service  every  moment  which  could  be  taken  from  imperious 
calls  of  other  duties.  Noonday  and  Gosa  were  my  instructers. 
But  during  this  time,  as  previously,  a  constant  press  of  other 
labours  allowed  little  time  for  the  study  of  the  language.  With 
the  assistance  of  my  instructers,  neither  of  whom  spoke  English, 
I  wrote  discourses,  prayers,  and  hymns,  in  the  Ottawa  language, 
which  enabled  me  to  conduct  religious  exercises  commonly 
without  an  interpreter. 

Our  religious  meetings  were  better  attended  at  this  place  than 
at  Carey.  It  was  common  for  neighbouring  Indians  to  walk 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


307 


three  quarters  of  a  mile  to  attend  family  prayers,  both  morning 
and  evening.  It  was  most  interesting  to  see  them  at  morning 
prayers,  because  they  were  under  the  necessity  of  rising  very 
early,  which  was  contrary  to  their  ordinary  habits.  A  few  cases 
of  serious  concern  for  the  salvation  of  the  soul,  of  a  favourable 
character,  occurred.  The  time  drew  near  when  it  would  be 
necessary  for  me  and  my  family  to  return  to  Carey.  The 
anticipation  of  this  elicited  expressions  of  desire,  on  the  part  of 
many  Indians,  to  attend  regularly  on  preaching,  which  circum 
stance,  to  us,  was  very  affecting. 

Noonday  had  said  that  he  designed  to  put  a  boy,  for  whom 
he  was  guardian  (having  no  children  of  his  own)  in  our  family. 
He  delayed  doing  so  four  or  five  days  longer  than  we  had 
expected.  The  boy  was  frequently  at  our  house,  and  we 
wondered  why  the  brief  ceremony  of  saying,  "  here  he  is,  take 
him,"  should  be  delayed.  These  queries  were  all  answered  on 
the  following  Sunday,  when  Noonday  and  his  boy  appeared  at 
our  house  very  early.  "  I  wish,"  said  he,  "  to  speak  to  you. 
I  have  brought  hither  my  son,  for  the  purpose  of  placing  him  in 
the  mission  family.  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  after  his  death, 
arose  from  the  dead  early  on  the  day  of  prayer,  (Sunday.)  On 
that  account,  we  meet  every  day  of  prayer,  to  pray,  to  sing, 
and  to  talk.  It  is  not  right  to  work  on  the  day  of  prayer. 
Therefore,  as  Jesus  arose  early  on  prayer  day  morning,  I  have 
brought  my  son  early  this  morning,  to  deliver  him  to  you,  to  be 
instructed  in  things  that  are  good.  I  thought  that  if  I  gave  him 
to  you  on  the  morning  of  the  day  on  which  Jesus  arose,  perhaps 
he  would  have  mercy  upon  him."  This  was  a  rare  method  of 
honouring  the  Saviour  and  the  day  on  which  he  arose.  It  was 
an  original  thought,  and  one  that  indicated  sincerity,  though 
not  a  well  cultivated  understanding. 

Mr.  Meeker  had  left  Thomas  on  the  22d  of  April,  for  Carey, 
to  take  charge  of  the  school  there,  of  which  Mr.  Slater  had  for 
some  time  had  the  management,  the  latter  expecting  to  locate 
at  Thomas. 

On  the  5th  of  May,  1827,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Slater  arrived  from 
Carey,  with  the  expectation  of  making  Thomas  their  home  in 
future.  About  the  same  time,  a  periogue  which  we  had  sent 
around  by  way  of  Grand  river,  Lake  Michigan,  and  St.  Joseph's 
river,  to  Carey,  for  supplies,  returned  to  Thomas,  after  a  voy 
age  of  thirty  days.  This  brought  seasonable  relief  to  the  station, 
but  the  cost  was  very  heavy  upon  us.  On  the  9th,  having  pro 
vided  for  them  suitable  company,  Mrs.  McCoy,  and  our  three 
little  children,  and  Miss  Purchase,  left  Thomas,  to  return  to 


308 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


Carey.  Business  compelled  me  to  remain  a  while  longer. 
On  the  20th,  Mr.  Lykins  unexpectedly  arrived  on  foot.  He 
had  heard  of  a  vessel  coming  up  the  lakes,  and  had  providently 
contrived  to  meet  it  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph's,  with  corn 
and  pork,  and  had  purchased  of  the  schooner  seven  barrels  of 
flour,  and  got  all  on  to  Grand  river,  coming  up  to  us  in  a  peri- 
ogue,  before  we  had  heard  of  the  transaction.  This  arrival  was 
alike  unexpected  and  acceptable.  The  station  was  now  pretty 
well  furnished  with  supplies  for  several  months. 

I  became  much  attached  to  these  people,  and  was  sorry  to 
leave  them.  A  malign  influence,  emanating  from  some  mis 
chievous  whites,  had  cherished  some  opposition  to  us  among 
the  Ottawas  most  remote  from  us  ;  but,  as  fast  as  we  had  been 
able  to  form  personal  acquaintances,  we  had  the  happiness  to 
see  their  suspicions  give  way,  and  the  opposition  constantly 
weakened.  We  took  pains  to  extend  our  acquaintance  to  some 
whom  we  could  not  visit,  by  sending  messages  to  them  by  Gosa 
and  others,  and  inviting  them  to  visit  us.  Excepting  the  un 
common  religious  excitement  with  which  we  had  been  blessed 
at  Carey,  we  had  not  seen  a  missionary  station  in  a  condition 
so  hopeful  as  Thomas  was  at  this  time. 

i  felt  very  much  like  going  from  home,  when,  on  the  22d  of 
May,  I  left  Thomas,  for  my  old  residence  at  Carey.  Mr. 
Lykins  remained  at  Grand  river  a  month  longer,  before  he  visit 
ed  Carey. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Marriage  of  a  missionary.  Sickness.  Origin  of  the  mission  to 
Sault  de  St.  Marie.  Indian  hostilities.  A  captive  redeemed. 
Cannibalism.  Indian  murders.  Journey  to  Thomas.  Sick 
ness  among  the  Ottawas.  Treaty  at  Carey.  Failure  for 
want  of  missionaries.  Smithery  at  Carey.  Journey  to  the 
Eastern  States.  Remarks  on  Indian  reform  published. 
Efforts  to  promote  colonization.  Objections  on  account  of 
slavery.  First  settlement  of  emigrants  in  the  Indian  terri 
tory.  Exploring  tour  originated.  Station  at  Sault  de  St. 
Marie. 

June  7th,  1827,  Miss  Purchase  was  married  to  Mr.  R.  D. 
Potts,  United  States'  agent  of  Indian  affairs,  who  had  resided 
many  months  in  our  missionary  families.  Out  of  respect  to 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


309 


the  parties,  and  for  the  sake  of  making  a  favourable  impression 
upon  our  Indian  neighbours,  we  suspended  the  ordinary  opera 
tions  of  labour  at  the  establishment,  and  had  a  prepared  dinner. 
By  this  connection,  Miss  Purchase  necessarily  dissolved  her 
connection  with  the  board  of  missions.  For  a  while  they 
resided  at  Fort  Wayne.  Subsequently  they  returned  to  Grand 
river,  and  Mr.  Potts  became  teacher  of  the  school  at  that 
station.  He  became  religious,  and  was  baptized,  and  some  time 
afterwards  obtained  from  Government  an  appointment  as  a 
school  teacher  to  the  Choctaws,  within  the  Indian  territory. 
These  are  the  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Potts  who  are  at  this  time  labour 
ing  successfully  as  missionaries,  of  whom  we  shall  have  occasion 
to  speak  hereafter. 

At  this  time,  the  routine  of  business  at  Carey  remained  the 
same  as  formerly.  Visits  were  also  made  to  the  neighbouring 
villages,  for  the  purpose  of  imparting  religious  instruction,  though 
congregations  could  not  be  collected  regularly.  In  the  latter 
part  of  spring  and  the  fore  part  of  summer,  before  vegetables 
could  be  gathered  from  gardens,  was  the  time  of  greatest 
scarcity  of  food  during  the  year.  Notwithstanding  the  notice 
we  would  give  that  we  would  attend  and  preach  at  their  villages, 
the  poor  creatures  would  sometimes  be  almost  all  absent  in 
quest  of  roots,  or  some  other  spontaneous  production  of  the 
woods,  for  food. 

Among  our  expensive  inconveniences  was  the  necessity  of 
sending  expresses.  We  had  no  mail,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
keep  up  a  communication  with  Chicago,  ninety  miles  from  us, 
with  Fort  Wayne,  one  hundred  miles,  and  with  Detroit,  two 
hundred  miles. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  1827,  Mr.  Lykinsleft  us,  on  a  journey  to 
Indiana,  of  five  or  six  weeks.  On  the  same  day  I  was  attacked 
with  severe  indisposition.  A  violent  fever,  with  very  great 
suffering,  brought  me  down,  until  those  around  me  almost  de 
spaired  of  my  recovery.  On  the  eighth  day  I  thought  myself 
that  I  should  die.  My  sufferings  for  a  few  days  were  greater  than 
had  commonly  attended  me  in  attacks  of  fever.  I  gave  such  direc 
tions  respecting  my  family,  and  advice  respecting  the  mission,  as 
I  deemed  proper  on  leaving  them.  I  endeavoured  to  commit 
my  family  to  the  care  of  a  gracious  Providence,  but  I  felt  great 
uneasiness  on  their  account.  I  was  leaving  them  in  a  wilder 
ness,  excepting  those  of  my  children  then  at  school  in  the  white 
settlements,  and  I  had  fully  learned  that  there  was  no  certainty 
that  they  would  find  friends  to  provide  for  their  comfort  and 
education.  I  said,  "  I  am  leaving  my  family  in  a  lamentable 


810 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


condition  !"  My  missionary  brethren  would  not  be  wanting  in 
sympathy  and  kindness,  but  they  would  not  have  it  in  their 
power  to  help.  They  were  wearing  out  the  best  portion  of  life 
without  securing  any  thing  for  the  future  benefit  of  those  of 
whom  they  had  charge,  and,  for  ought  that  could  be  foreseen, 
they  too  might  one  day  realize  anxieties  in  relation  to  their  own 
families,  similar  to  what  I  felt.  From  Heaven  alone  could  hope 
and  consolation  be  drawn,  under  circumstances  like  these.  I  had 
to  prescribe  for  myself.  Despairing  of  my  recovery,  and  influ 
enced  by  sympathy  for  me  under  great  sufferings,  those  around 
me  entreated  me  to  employ  anodynes  to  allay  my  pain.  But  I 
resolved  on  a  different  course,  and  continued  the  use  of  calomel. 
"  In  my  distress  1  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  heard  me." 

In  April,  1827,  Dr.  Bolles,  the  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
board  of  missions,  had  informed  us  that  an  annuity  of  one  thou 
sand  dollars,  for  educational  purposes  among  the  Chippewas,  was 
available,  provided  we  could  find  a  missionary  who  could  under 
take  a  mission  there,  to  be  located  at  Sault  de  St.  Marie, 
between  Lake  Huron  and  Lake  Superior,  and  inquiry  was  made 
whether  one  could  be  spared  from  Carey  or  Thomas  for  that 
place.  We  were  unable  at  that  time  to  send  a  missionary  from 
our  place,  and  so  answered  the  board ;  but  we  hoped  that  our 
number  would  increase.  We  were  exceedingly  desirous  that 
the  board  should  improve  the  opening  for  the  establishment  of  a 
mission  there,  and  trusted  that,  even  if  we  should  not  be  re-en 
forced  with  missionaries,  we  should  be  able  to  make  such 
arrangements  as  would  eventually  allow  one  of  us  to  labour 
there.  In  the  mean  time,  in  order  to  secure  the  occupancy  of 
the  place  to  our  board,  we  addressed  a  letter  to  Governour  Cass, 
Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs. 

Governour  Cass  and  Colonel  T.  L.  McKenney  were  commis 
sioners  for  the  purpose  of  negotiating  treaties  with  the  Chippe 
was  and  others,  this  year,  and  it  was  designed  by  us  that  I 
should  endeavour  to  attend  their  negotiations,  which  would  be 
at  Green  Bay,  not  far  from  Sault  de  St.  Marie  ;  by  which  means 
it  was  hoped  some  profitable  arrangements  could  be  made 
relative  to  the  occupancy  of  the  contemplated  station,  and  for 
the  procurement  of  other  educational  facilities  for  the  enlarge 
ment  of  our  operations.  Governour  Cass  very  politely  invited 
me  to  attend  the  treaty.  Twice  I  had  appointed  to  set  out  on  the 
journey,  and  each  time  was  prevented  by  sickness.  These  dis 
appointments  afterwards  appeared  to  us  to  have  been  providential. 
My  route  lay  by  way  of  Chicago,  and  the  distance  to  Green 
Bay  was  nearly  three  hundred  miles,  and  through  an  unsettled 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


311 


country,  excepting  a  few  families  at  Chicago.  I  should  have 
necessarily  passed  through  the  Winnebago  towns,  and  should 
have  entered  them  unconscious  of  danger,  whereas  it  appeared 
by  an  express,  which  passed  us  on  the  27th  of  July,  1827, 
going  from  Chicago  to  Detroit,  that  the  Winnebagoes  were  in  a 
state  of  almost  open  hostility.  Had  1  entered  their  country  at 
the  time  that  I  desired,  I  should  probably  not  have  left  it. 

News  of  hostilities  was  very  unexpected.  Some  information 
which  Governour  Cass  received  at  Green  Bay  induced  him  to 
procure  a  birch  bark  canoe,  and  proceed  across  to  Prairie  Du 
Chien,  on  the  Mississippi  river.  In  descending  the  Wisconsin, 
he  passed  many  Winnebagoes,  at  great  hazard.  About  the  time 
he  reached  Prairie  Du  Chien,  these  Indians,  in  open  day,  made 
an  attack  on  a  little  settlement  at  that  place,  and  killed  two 
men  and  a  child.  The  people  hastened  into  the  fort.  Troops 
from  the  fort  at  St.  Peter's  were  ordered  down  the  river,  to  the 
assistance  of  Fort  Crawford,  at  Prairie  Du  Chien.  Governour 
Cass  descended  to  St.  Louis,  and  troops  were  also  sent  up  from 
that  region,  to  the  relief  of  the  place.  Another  boat,  in  de 
scending  the  Wisconsin  soon  after  Governour  Cass,  was  attacked, 
and  had  three  men  killed  and  seven  wounded.  Governour  Cass 
returned  in  his  canoe  up  the  Illinois  river,  to  Chicago,  and  thence 
went  again  to  Green  Bay  by  way  of  the  lake. 

The  little  settlement  at  Chicago  was  thrown  into  great  alarm, 
being  only  two  days'  journey  from  the  enemy's  towns.  They 
took  refuge  in  the  fort  at  the  place,  but  no  troops  being  sta 
tioned  there  at  that  time,  their  dependance  for  protection,  for 
some  time,  was  on  their  own  prowess.  Subsequently,  two  hun 
dred  militia,  from  the  State  of  Illinois,  arrived  for  their  relief. 
Governour  Cass  invited  as  many  of  the  Putawatomie  chiefs  to 
a  council  at  Chicago  as  his  haste  would  allow,  and  gave  them 
such  a  talk  as  the  times  required,  in  order  to  prevent  them  from 
participating  in  the  hostilities  of  the  Wlnnebagoes.  All  ap 
peared  friendly  excepting  one  chief,  named  Bigfoot,  who  refused 
to  come  into  council. 

The  Providence  by  which  1  had  been  prevented  from  enter 
ing  the  Winnebago  country  at  that  time  of  danger  was  made 
more  impressive  by  a  letter  being  unaccountably  detained  on  the 
road.  Governour  Cass  wrote  me  from  Detroit  the  22d  of  May, 
encouraging  me  to  go  to  Green  Bay.  Had  the  letter  reached 
me  in  the  usual  time,  say  in  ten  or  twelve  days,  I  should  pro 
bably  have  started.  But,  from  some  cause  unknown  to  us,  the 
letter  did  not  reach  me  until  the  18th  of  July,  at  a  time  when  I 
was  unable  to  travel. 


3  1  2  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

The  Putawatomie  country  adjoined  the  country  of  the  Winne- 
bagoes,  and  on  account  of  the  intercourse  to  which  their  prox 
imity  to  each  other  gave  rise,  it  was  natural  to  suppose  that 
some  of  the  Putawatomies,  especially  those  who  lived  nearest 
to  the  hostile  tribe,  should  partake  somewhat  of  their  spirit  of 
disaffection  towards  the  whites.  Chebass,  a  noted  Putawatomie 
chief  of  our  neighbourhood,  stated  to  us  that  while  they  had 
been  at  Chicago  to  receive  their  late  annuity,  four  men  from  the 
hostile  Indians,  in  a  formal  manner,  according  to  Indian  custom 
in  such  cases,  invited  them  to  join  in  the  war  against  the  whites, 
by  presenting  to  them  their  war  tomahawk,  war  pipe,  and  war 
beads,  with  the  hair  of  a  buffalo  or  of  a  cow's  tail  suspended 
to  one  arm,  all  of  which  emblems  were  coloured  red. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  though  I  was  so  feeble,  from  my  late 
severe  illness,  as  to  be  scarcely  able  to  sit  up,  I  sent  for  a  few 
of  the  neighbouring  chiefs  and  principal  men,  sixteen  of  whom 
called  to  see  me,  to  whom  I  stated  the  unpleasant  news  we  had 
heard  respecting  hostilities  which  had  commenced  between  our 
Winnebago  neighbours  and  the  whites,  and  gave  them  such  ad 
vice  as  1  thought  circumstances  required.  Saugana,  a  chief, 
was  made  their  speaker,  who  said  : 

"  Our  brother,  we  are  sorry  to  hear  that  some  Indians  have 
been  fighting  with  the  white  people.  This  is  not  good,  and  we 
will  not  join  them  ;  we  will  remain  at  peace  ;  we  are  happy  that 
you  have  come  to  live  among  us,  and  that  you  are  our  friend — 
the  same  as  one  of  us.  If  soldiers  should  pass  through  our 
country  towards  the  Winnebagoes,  our  women  and  children  will 
be  afraid.  There  are  some  foolish  white  men  as  well  as  foolish 
Indians.  We  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  meet  the  soldiers,  and 
speak  to  them,  and  accompany  them  through  our  country,  that 
our  women  and  children  may  not  be  alarmed.  You  will  know 
every  thing  that  passes  among  the  whites.  If  any  thing  should 
occur  that  we  ought  to  know  for  our  safety,  we  desire  you  to 
inform  us,  and  advise  us  what  to  do.  We  will  understand  all 
that  occurs  among  the  Indians.  If  we  hear  of  any  thing  which 
affects  your  safety,  we  will  inform  you.  Finally,  I  can  say  no 
more  than,  do  you  take  care  of  us,  and  we  will  take  care  of 
you." 

At  all  times  we  had  Indian  acquaintances  who  would  confiden 
tially  communicate  to  us  any  thing  we  desired,  of  which  they  had 
knowledge,  in  relation  to  occurrences  in  the  Indian  country.  With 
vigilance  on  the  part  of  agents,  and  a  discreet  management  on  the 
part  of  Government,  almost  all  Indian  wars  might  be  avoided. 
The  first  symptoms  of  hostile  feelings  might  be  known,  and 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


313 


measures  adopted  to  check  them.  If  they  had  just  cause  for 
dissatisfaction,  justice  ought  to  be  extended  to  them  ;  if  their 
dissatisfaction  was  the  result  of  a  mischievous  influence  from 
others,  or  of  a  malignant  spirit  of  their  own,  it  might  be  cor 
rected  before  it  produced  serious  consequences.  On  the  present 
occasion  we  were  so  fortified  with  Indian  friends,  in  whose 
fidelity  we  could  rely,  that  a  party  of  hostile  Indians  could 
hardly  have  reached  us  without  our  knowledge  of  their  ap 
proach. 

At  the  time  that  the  first  overt  acts  of  hostility  occurred  with 
the  Winnebagoes,  several  hundred  Sauks  were  on  their  annual 
visit  to  Maiden,  in  Upper  Canada,  to  receive  an  annuity  of 
presents,  a  reward  for  the  part  they  had  taken  in  favour  of  Eng 
land  in  the  last  war  between  that  country  and  the  United  States. 
The  country  of  the  Sauks  adjoined  that  of  the  Winnebagoes. 
Hearing,  in  the  vicinity  of  Detroit,  of  the  disturbances  in  their 
neighbourhood,  they  hastened  home.  Eleven  passed  hastily  on 
before  the  main  body. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  the  main  body  of  them  encamped 
about  five  miles  from  Carey,  and  very  early  on  the  following 
morning  two  chiefs,  Nepop,  and  Kukekamaquau,  the  latter  a 
war  chief,  with  a  highly  ornamented  war  club,  called  to  see  us, 
as  they  said,  in  behalf  of  the  whole  company.  As  they  ap 
proached  our  door,  they  showed  signs  of  fear,  which  we  took 
measures  to  remove.  Our  conversation  turned  on  the  subject 
of  the  difficulties  between  the  Winnebagoes  and  the  whites,  and 
we  urged  upon  them  the  propriety,  of  their  remaining  neutral. 
They  declared  their  fears  that  on  their  journey  home  they  might 
fall  in  with  soldiers,  or  other  white  men  of  hostile  feelings,  from 
whom  they  might  receive  ill  usage,  and  requested  a  line,  stating 
that  they  had  passed  peaceably  through  our  neighbourhood,  and 
requesting  that  they  might  be  treated  as  friends  by  any  whites 
whom  they  might  chance  to  meet.  They  also  asked  for  a  piece 
of  white  cloth,  which  they  might  use  as  a  flag  of  peace,  should 
occasion  require.  These  reasonable  requests  were  cheerfully 
granted. 

On  their  arrival,  they  lost  no  time  in  exhibiting  a  certifi 
cate  favourable  to  the  character  of  one  of  them,  obtained  at  the 
Department  of  War,  in  Washington,  in  1824,  and  also  a  line 
from  two  of  the  white  settlers  near  Detroit,  saying  they  had 
passed  through  peaceably.  They  appeared  much  gratified  to 
learn  that  they  probably  would  not  be  molested  on  their  way. 
Nepop  said, "  I  am  glad  that  there  is  no  danger  of  the  white 
people  attacking  us,  for  if  they  were  to  strike  us,  we  should 
40 


314 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


return  the  blow.  We  fought  very  hard  against  the  long  knives 
[citizens  of  the  United  States]  in  the  last  war,  and  they  came 
near  killing  me.  There,"  said  he,  putting  his  finger  on  his  fore 
head,  "  a  white  man's  bullet  struck  me,  and  had  well  nigh  taken 
my  life."  The  scar  indicated  a  very  narrow  escape,  sure 
enough.  The  conduct  of  our  Putawatomie  neighbours  during 
these  transactions  was  very  much  to  their  credit  and  to  our  satis 
faction,  and  we  had  reason  to  believe  that  the  pains  we  took  to 
preserve  the  Indians  unhurt,  had  times  become  worse,  by  pro 
moting  peace,  elevated  the  character  of  the  missionaries  in  their 
estimation  very  much. 

A  few  days  after  the  Sauks  had  passed  on,  Pocagin  and  his 
wife  visited  us,  bringing  with  them  an  Indian  boy,  apparently 
about  eleven  years  of  age,  supposed  to  be  a  Naudowisse 
(Sioux)  whom  they  had  purchased  of  the  Sauks.  Pocagin  hav 
ing  heard  that  in  divers  villages  of  the  Putawatomies  the  Sauks 
had  been  offering  a  person  for  sale,  went  to  them  and  proposed 
purchasing.  He  gave  for  the  boy  three  horses,  saddles,  and 
bridles,  and  other  property  equal  in  value  to  a  fourth  horse. 
The  boy  had  been  taken  prisoner  by  the  Sauks,  and  illy  treated. 
Several  scars  on  him  were  pointed  out  to  us,  occasioned  by  the 
blows  of  a  cruel  old  woman  to  whom  he  had  belonged.  In 
making  the  purchase,  it  seemed  that  Pocagin  had  been  actu 
ated,  in  a  good  degree,  by  humane  motives.  He  said  that 
many  of  his  own  children  were  dead,  and  the  living  being  few 
in  number,  he  had  redeemed  this  captive  to  adopt  into  his  own 
family.  In  evidence  of  the  sincerity  of  our  commendation  of  this 
praiseworthy  deed,  we  presented  the  boy  with  a  couple  of  gar 
ments,  ot  which  we  perceived  he  was  still  in  want. 

Pocagin,  who  is  a  Putawatomie  chief  of  respectability,  as 
sured  us  that  the  Sauks  frequently  killed  their  prisoners,  after 
they  had  been  a  considerable  time  captives ;  and  what  rendered 
the  account  shocking  in  the  extreme  was,  that  they  ate  the 
flesh  of  the  victims.  He  said  that  two  years  previously,  while 
the  Sauks  were  making  their  annual  journey  to  Canada,  an  Osage 
man,  who  was  a  prisoner,  when  sitting  in  his  tent  unconscious 
of  danger,  was  approached  by  two  Sauks,  who,  taking  him  by 
the  two  arms,  conducted  him  out  of  the  company  and  killed 
him.  A  woman  afterwards  cut  him  to  pieces,  and  boiled  the 
flesh,  and  it  was  eaten  by  the  party.  These  horrid  deeds  are 
not  done  on  account  of  hunger,  but  they  are  the  effect  of  super 
stition.  They  are  considered  evidences  of  bravery,  and  are  sup 
posed  to  inspire  the  eater  with  additional  courage. 

Pocagin  also  informed  us  that  one  year  before,  when   the 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


315 


Sauks  were  on  their  way  to  Canada,  they  were  about  to  sacri 
fice  a  young  man,  who  was  a  prisoner,  and  that  he  overheard 
them  as  they  were  devising  his  death,  and  made  his  escape. 
This  year  the  claimant  of  the  fugitive  was  not  in  company,  but 
had  enjoined  it  on  others  to  endeavour  to  retake  his  captive ; 
and  in  event  of  their  getting  him  again,  he  directed  that  he 
should  be  murdered  in  a  manner  too  shocking  to  be  here  de 
scribed.  Our  very  natures,  revolting  at  the  thought  that  human 
beings  could  be  thus  savage,  would  fain  have  furnished  grounds 
for  disbelieving  these  horrid  tales.  But  we  were  compelled  to 
believe  that  it  was  such  a  people  as  this  that  we  laboured  to 
improve.  From  well  attested  facts,  the  recital  of  which  was  no 
less  shocking  than  the  above,  we  are  constrained  to  believe  that 
the  Putawatomies,  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  and  Miamies,  the  tribes 
among  whom  we  laboured,  have  all  been  guilty  of  cannibalism. 
We  do  not  mean  that  human  flesh  was  eaten  for  the  sake  of 
food  ;  this  we  presume  never  has  been  done  by  any  people, 
except  in  extreme  cases  of  suffering.  If  the  accounts  of  the 
Indians  can  be  credited,  the  last  war  between  England  and  the 
United  States,  in  which  Indians  were  mercenaries  on  both  sides, 
was  disgraced  by  cannibalism,  the  last  instance  of  which  we  have 
been  informed,  occurred  near  Fort  Meigs,  on  the  Maumee  river, 
in  1813.  Deeds,  the  enormity  of  which  cannot  be  described, 
we  know  have  been  done  in  the  country  about  us.  What  else 
can  be  expected  from  depraved  human  beings,  unrestrained  by 
law? 

Whatever  else,  whether  good  or  bad,  we  had  occasion  to 
notice  among  the  people  of  our  charge,  the  disorders  on  account 
of  intemperance  were  ever  prominent.  Two  murders  about 
this  time  were  committed  on  the  Tiaukakeek  river,  and  Mr. 
Potts,  the  sub-agent,  found  it  necessary  to  interpose  to  prevent 
others  following,  from  a  spirit  of  revenge.  A  few  days  after  the 
Putawatomies  received  their  annuity  at  Chicago,  in  July,  1827, 
three  murders  were  committed,  one  of  which  was  within  a  mile 
of  our  house  ;  a  fourth  murder  occurred  a  while  after  :  all  were 
the  effects  of  whiskey,  distributed  to  them  by  our  white  neigh 
bours.  About  the  same  time,  the  son  of  an  Indian  named  Owl, 
was  murdered  near  us,  in  which  wicked  deed  a  son  of  the 
chief,  Chebass,  acted  a  conspicuous  part.  The  murderer  a 
short  time  after  set  fire  to  the  house  of  Shak-wauk-shuk,  one 
of  our  near  neighbours,  in  which  several  others  resided  besides 
his  own  family,  and  destroyed  all  the  property  it  contained. 
They  appealed  to  us,  and  we  afforded  them  some  relief  in  their 
destitute  condition. 


316 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


One  of  Shak-wauk-shuk's  wives  was  a  sister  to  the  murderer. 
She  very  unconcernedly  said  that  her  brother  had  become  so 
troublesome  that  the  Indians  were  about  to  look  for  him  and  kill 
him.  A  few  hours  afterwards,  Chebass,  the  chief,  called  on  us, 
and  said  he  was  in  great  distress ;  that  a  council  was  to  be  held 
on  the  following  day,  when  the  family  of  the  late  murdered 
man  would  demand  vengeance  on  his  son,  who  had  participated 
in  the  murder.  He  said  he  would  take  a  horse  to  the  council, 
as  an  atonement  for  the  offence  of  his  son,  and  by  the  price  of 
atonement  he  would  suspend  a  flag  of  white  cloth,  which  we 
gave  him  at  his  request.  The  culprit  and  the  price  of  atone 
ment  would  be  placed  near  each  other,  and  the  avengers  would 
make  their  choice  of  one  or  the  other.  He  awaited  the  decision 
in  an  agony  of  hope  and  fear;  and  equal  to  his  anxiety  must 
have  been  his  joy,  when  it  was  decided  that  the  offender  should 
not  be  executed. 

It  was  at  this  time  deemed  expedient  for  Mr.  Meeker  to  join 
Mr.  Slater  at  Grand  river,  and  on  the  20th  of  August  he  and  I 
set  out  for  that  station.  Late  rains  had  swollen  the  St.  Joseph's 
river,  so  that  our  horses  had  to  swim  it.  At  night,  on  account 
of  the  unpleasantness  of  lodging  on  the  ground,  which  was  very 
wet,  we  turned  a  little  from  our  way,  and  took  shelter  in  an  In 
dian  hut.  The  inmates  took  great  pains  to  show  kindness  to 
us.  A  little  scaffold,  above  which  was  a  temporary  shed,  was 
pointed  out  to  us  for  our  sleeping  place.  Here  we  were  so  an 
noyed  by  fleas,  that  Mr.  Meeker  soon  retreated  to  a  scaffold 
erected  for  the  purpose  of  drying  corn,  some  ten  feet  from  the 
ground  ;  the  enemies  of  his  comfort,  however,  were  not  avoided 
by  the  change  of  place.  The  little  settlement  had  made  pre 
paration  for  a  dance.  They  appeared  to  delay  entering  upon 
their  exercises  awhile,  to  allow  us  to  fall  asleep.  They  con 
tinued  drumming,  dancing,  and  singing,  until  near  daylight ;  so 
that  between  the  noise  which  was  in  a  house  adjoining  us,  and 
the  insects,  which  treated  us  with  less  ceremony,  we  slept  none. 

Mingling  with  uncivilized  Indians,  especially  in  warm  wea 
ther,  is  exceedingly  unpleasant.  All  filthy  vermin  with  which 
persons  are  liable  to  be  infested,  when  little  or  no  regard  is  paid 
to  cleanliness,  abound  among  them.  On  our  visits  to  their 
houses,  for  want  of  a  chair,  a  blanket  is  commonly  spread  for 
us  to  sit  upon,  and  the  consequence  very  often  is  an  accumula 
tion  of  filthy  vermin,  of  which  it  is  difficult  to  rid  our  garments. 
This  was  also  a  source  of  much  vexation  and  labour  in  regard 
to  our  schools.  Relatives  and  acquaintances,  on  visits,  would 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


317 


mingle  among  our  scholars,  and  divide  with  them  their  offensive 
vermin. 

Want  of  attention  to  their  persons,  in  regard  to  cleanliness, 
occasions  uncivilized  Indians  to  be  subject  to  cutaneous  erup 
tions,  especially  the  itch.  With  all  the  caution,  by  the  mission 
aries,  which  it  was  possible  to  observe,  the  children  of  the  school 
would  frequently  contract  this  disagreeable  disease,  by  mingling 
with  their  acquaintances ;  and  to  suppress  it  among  a  family  of 
sixty  or  seventy  Indian  children  was  not  a  light  matter. 

On  the  second  night  of  our  journey,  as  we  lay  in  camp  on  the 
bank  of  Kekenmazoo  river,  1  was  taken  very  sick.  We  were, 
however,  able  to  reach  Thomas  on  the  evening  of  the  following 
day. 

The  establishment  at  this  time  appeared  to  be  exerting  a 
salutary  influence  all  around.  We  were  welcomed  by  the 
neighbouring  Indians,  who  flocked  in  to  see  us,  and  we  had 
much  interesting  conversation  with  them,  both  in  council  and 
on  other  occasions ;  most  of  all,  we  were  gratified  to  hear  them 
express  a  desire  to  receive  religious  instruction.  A  lively  dispo 
sition  to  improve  their  condition  was  manifested  in  many  villages, 
and  some  were  indeed  becoming  quite  comfortable,  both  in  re 
spect  to  food  and  raiment.  Noonday's  village,  which  was  near 
the  mission  premises,  was  increasing  in  population,  and  improv 
ing  in  regard  to  the  character  of  buildings.  They  had  twenty- 
four  acres  of  land  well  fenced,  and  most  of  it  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation ;  and  at  Blackskin's  village,  they  had  twelve  acres 
fenced. 

On  the  27th  of  August,  1827,  a  considerable  number  of  the 
neighbouring  Ottawas  called  at  Thomas  to  pay  their  respects, 
on  my  leaving  the  place  for  Carey,  on  which  occasion  I  intro 
duced  Mr.  Meeker  to  them,  as  the  superintendent  of  the  station, 
and  as  a  licensed  preacher.  With  this  they  appeared  to  be 
much  gratified — the  more  so  because  they  discovered  that  he 
could  read  to  them  religious  discourses  in  the  Ottawa  language. 

I  was  on  the  eve  of  setting  out,  when  they  desired  me  to 
tarry  a  short  time,  until  they  could  bestow  on  Mr.  Meeker  a 
name.  They  conferred  with  me  privately  on  the  propriety  of 
the  measure,  and  on  the  suitableness  of  a  name  which  they  had 
proposed  among  themselves.  We  then  all  became  seated,  in  a 
serious  manner,  as  if  a  matter  of  great  moment  had  been  on 
hand,  when  the  old  chief,  Blackskin,  arose  and  shook  the  hand 
of  all  the  whites,  both  male  and  female ;  then  turning  to  me, 
said,  "  My  brother,  it  is  nothing  bad  that  I  am  now  about  to  say. 
We  are  all  pleased  that  you  have  brought  this  young  man  to 


318 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


live  with  us ;  we  are  happy  to  hear  that  he  is  a  speaker  of 
things  that  are  good.  It  is  difficult  for  us  to  pronounce  his 
English  name,  and  we  therefore  desire  to  give  him  an  Indian 
name.  We  have  decided  that  his  name  shall  be  Mano'-keke- 
toh'  [He  that  speaks  good  words,  or,  a  preacher  of  righteous 
ness.]  We  have  given  him  a  good  name ;  we  hope  he  will 
remain  with  us,  to  teach  us  and  our  children  good  things,  so  that 
our  children  will  be  benefited,  and  be  worthy  of  good  names 
which  you  will  give  them."  He  concluded  by  giving  Mr. 
Meeker  the  hand,  addressing  him  by  his  new  name.  I  made  a 
brief  response,  and  also  gave  Mr.  Meeker  the  hand,  under  ad 
dress  of  his  new  name.  On  similar  occasions  of  conferring  a 
name  among  themselves,  the  recipient,  or  one,  of  his  friends,  is 
expected  to  give  a  feast ;  we  were  happy  that  this  part  of  the 
ceremony  could  be  dispensed  with  upon  the  present  occasion. 

We  had  no  physicians  near  us,  which  often  occasioned  great 
anxiety.  In  August,  Mrs.  Simerwell  made  a  visit  to  Thomas, 
on  account  of  the  indisposition  of  Mrs.  Slater,  from  which  she 
returned,  in  the  company  of  her  husband,  in  September.  Mrs. 
Simerwell  and  her  infant  both  came  home  sick  of  fever ;  they 
had  been  much  exposed  to  rains  on  the  way,  and  were  some 
times  thoroughly  drenched.  One  day  the  poor  child  had  its 
paroxysm  of  ague  and  fever  in  the  woods,  when  its  clothes 
were  thoroughly  wetted  with  rains.  They  also  brought  the  un 
pleasant 'intelligence  that  a  diarrhoea,  which  existed  in  that  coun 
try  when  I  was  last  there,  and  of  which  I  had  suffered,  had 
increased  to  an  epidemic.  Several  deaths  had  occurred  ;  Mr. 
Slater  and  six  of  the  pupils  were  sick,  and  studies  in  school  had 
been  suspended.  During  these  afflictions,  Noonday  invited  the 
missionaries  to  visit  the  sick,  and  converse  and  pray.  He  also 
lectured  his  people  himself,  on  the  propriety  of  forsaking  wicked 
ways,  which  gave  offence  to  the  Great  Spirit,  and  of  attending 
to  the  instructions  of  the  missionaries.  We  were  frequently 
called  upon  for  medicine,  and  we  knew  that  it  was  necessary  to 
administer  it  with  great  caution.  We  could  not  depend  upon 
their  fidelity  in  following  a  prescription ;  and  if  the  patient  should 
die,  we  were  liable  to  be  blamed.  Their  own  conjuring  physi 
cians  frequently  forfeited  their  lives  by  an  unsuccessful  case. 
In  the  time  of  this  general  sickness  at  Grand  river,  Mr.  Meeker 
gave  an  emetic  to  a  child,  which  died  while  under  the  influence 
of  the  medicine.  When  he  issued  the  medicine,  he  was  not 
aware  that  the  child  was  so  near  its  end.  Notwithstanding  no 
blame  ought  to  have  been  attached  to  Mr.  Meeker,  the  Indians 
felt  unpleasant,  and  on  that  account  the  missionaries  felt  more 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


319 


so ;  they  could  not  tell  how  far  these  ignorant  people  would  be 
influenced  by  their  superstition.  The  parents  of  the  child  claimed 
of  the  missionaries  burying  clothes,  with  as  much  confidence  as 
if  the  child  had  been,  destroyed  by  design.  In  these  requests 
the  missionaries  gratified  them,  and,  by  a  steady  and  prudent 
course,  nothing  prejudicial  to  the  mission  ensued. 

On  the  Hth  of  September,  1827,  his  Excellency  Lewis  Cass 
and  suit  arrived  at  Carey,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  treaty 
with  ourPutawatomie  neighbours,  whom,  by  runners  sent  before 
him,  he  had  assembled  at  our  house.  At  this  treaty,  several 
small  reservations,  on  the  north  side  of  the  St.  Joseph's,  were 
consolidated  in  one;  five  hundred  dollars  worth  of  goods  were 
paid  them,  and  an  annuity  of  twenty-five  hundred  dollars. 
About  half  a  dozen  traders,  and  some  others  who  had  nothing 
to  sell  except  whiskey,  placed  themselves,  for  the  time,  near 
the  Indians'  encampment,  and  not  much  more  than  a  mile  from 
us.  In  about  twenty-four  hours  after  the  Indians  had  received 
their  money,  the  dealers  had  relieved  them  of  it,  and  broken  up 
their  temporary  store  encampments,  and  left  the  place.  Such 
is  the  facility  with  which  an  Indian  can  rid  himself  of  the  burden 
of  carrying  his  money. 

By  personal  services  and  the  sale  of  some  of  the  products  of 
our  farm,  &LC.,  this  treaty  was  made  to  benefit  the  mission  more 
than  four  hundred  dollars,  which  our  .pressing  want  of  funds, 
for  the  purpose  of  paying  debts,  made  very  acceptable.  But 
we  believed  that  the  greatest  benefits  to  the  mission  on  account 
of  the  treaty  arose  from  the  opportunity  afforded  us  of  making 
known  our  plans  and  wishes  fully  to  Governour  Cass,  and  to 
General  Tipton,  United  States'  Indian  agent.  The  United 
States'  agent  for  the  examination  of  Indian  schools,  J.  L. 
Lieb,  Esq.,  was  secretary  to  the  commissioner  at  the  treaty,  and 
took  this  opportunity  of  making  his  annual  examination  of  the 
establishment.  All  three  of  these  gentlemen  tendered  their 
services  in  future,  in  the  promotion  of  our  views. 

We  were  much  gratified  with  the  privilege  of  seeing  in  our 
house  Governour  Cass,  who  had  been  a  kind  of  patron  of  our 
institution  from  its  origin,  and  to  whom  we  felt  under  great  obli 
gations  for  many  attentions  and  positive  favours.  The  female 
department  of  the  school  was  at  that  time  taught  by  my  eldest 
daughter,  scarcely  grown.  His  Excellency  visited  both  depart 
ments,  and  made  himself  acquainted  with  our  whole  routine  of 
business ;  and  the  interest  which  he  evidently  took  in  these  ex 
aminations,  and  his  readiness  to  promote  the  interests  of  the 
institution,  were  very  flattering. 


320 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


From  him  we  ascertained  that  at  the  late  treaty  at  Green 
Bay,  which  I  had  desired  to  attend,  a  provision  had  been 
made  for  educational  purposes.  We  immediately  conceived 
the  design  of  availing  ourselves  of  the  application  of  this  annu 
ity,  by  establishing  a  mission  on  Fox  river,  about  eighty  miles 
west  of  Green  Bay.  In  effecting  this  object,  we  were  assured 
of  the  co-operation  of  Governour  Cass.  We  hoped  that  we 
should  be  able  to  procure  missionaries,  and  the  means  of  sup 
port  were  already  provided  for.  The  measure  we  thought 
might  facilitate  the  formation  of  a  missionary  establishment  at 
Sault  de  St.  Marie,  as  we  had  for  some  time  desired.  But 
if  a  preference  ought  to  be  given  to  one  of  the  two  sites  pro 
posed,  we  believed  that  that  on  Fox  river  was  entitled  to  it. 
Sanguine  as  were  our  hopes  of  success  at  this  time,  we  never 
found  missionaries  to  improve  the  opening,  and  our  plans  failed 
for  want  of  men  to  carry  them  into  operation. 

While  I  had  resided  at  Grand  river,  measures  had  covertly 
been  taken,  by  some  of  our  white  neighbours,  to  obtain  an  order 
from  Governour  Cass  to  remove  the  public  smithery  from  under 
our  charge.  Without  our  knowledge,  a  communication  had 
been  made  to  him  on  the  subject,  to  which  he  had  paid  no 
attention,  so  that  our  enemies  effected  nothing  more  than  an 
expression  of  their  malicious  feelings. 

Mr.  Simerwell  was  by  trade  a  cutler.  Soon  after  he  arrived 
at  Carey,  he  had  the  magnanimity  to  consent  to  be  the  superin 
tendent  of  our  public  smithery,  for  which  he  was  eminently 
qualified.  We  obtained  for  him  a  commission  as  United  States' 
blacksmith,  on  account  of  which  he  received  a  salary  of  three 
hundred  and  sixty  five  dollars  per  annum,  all  of  which  he,  like 
those  of  the  other  missionaries  who  received  salaries  from  the 
Government,  threw  into  the  common  missionary  account,  as 
money  belonging  to  the  board,  and  to  be  accounted  for  by  a 
report  of  our  common  expenditures.  We  commonly  kept  an 
other  smith,  hired  by  ourselves,  to  labour  in  the  shop,  for  the 
relief  of  Mr.  Simerwell.  This  hired  man  we  obtained  for  less 
than  Mr.  SimerwelPs  salary;  so  that  there  was  a  positive  saving 
of  upwards  of  one  hundred  dollars  a  year  from  this  source, 
which  constituted  one  of  the  items  of  income  by  which  the 
mission  was  supported.  When  we  had  not  a  hired  smith  in 
the  shop,  Mr.  Simerwell  laboured  in  it  himself,  and,  in  very 
pressing  times  for  smith  work,  by  the  necessities  of  the  people 
of  our  charge,  he  laboured  in  conjunction  with  the  hired  smith. 

Some  other  insidious  attempts  had  been  made  to  deprive  our 
mission  of  some  streams  of  support  for  which  we  had  laboured 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


82 1 


at  the  treaty  of  1826.  In  conference  on  these  things  with  Go- 
vernour  Cass  and  J.  L.  Leib,  Esq.,  at  the  late  treaty,  they 
both  advised  that  1  should  visit  Washington  during  the  next 
session  of  Congress,  and  endeavour  to  make  such  arrangements 
with  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  as  the  circumstances  of 
the  mission  called  for. 

Our  expenses  were  heavy.  Besides  the  seventy  Indian  chil 
dren  to  be  supported  and  educated  at  Carey,  we  had  to  con 
trive  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  Thomas  station.  All  supplies 
for  that  place,  except  what  they  could  make  on  the  ground, 
were  sent  from  Carey,  usually  in  periogues  or  a  barge,  by  water. 
Accidents  by  winds  and  water  sometimes  befel  them,  and  oc 
casioned  great  loss,  and  added  distressingly  to  the  expense. 

About  the  time  of  the  late  treaty  we  received  in  charge  fif 
teen  valuable  cattle,  sent  to  us  by  order  of  the  Superintendent 
of  Indian  Affairs,  to  distribute  to  the  Ottawas,  in -further  fulfil 
ment  of  the  treaty  of  1821. 

Feeling  it  to  be  a  duty  we  owed  to  our  children  to  send  them 
a  portion  of  the  time  to  school  in  the  white  settlements,  and 
without  a  settled  home  ourselves,  my  wife  and  I  had  been  much 
deprived  of  their  society.  In  the  mission  journals  the  following 
note  in  reference  to  our  family  appears  for  September  21st, 
1827:  "This  evening  arrived  my  three  sons,  on  a  visit  from 
Lexington,  Kentucky,  where  they  have  been  pursuing  their 
studies.  It  has  been  years  since  I  and  my  poor  wife  have  had 
all  our  children  together.  This  afternoon  we  have  the  satisfac 
tion  of  seeing  all  our  living  children  present.  For  this  great 
favour,  after  years  of  anxious  separation,  we  record  our  grati 
tude  to  God,  our  heavenly  father." 

On  the  llth  of  October  Mr.  Lykins  had  an  alarming  attack 
of  inflammation  in  the  ear,  attended  with  excruciating  pain  and 
delirium.  For  a  few  days  we  had  reason  to  fear  that  his  labours 
were  ended  ;  but  the  Lord  had  mercy  on  him,  and  on  us,  and  on 
those  for  whom  he  has  since  been  allowed  to  labour. 

The  time  now  drew  near  when,  according  to  our  own  views  of 
expediency,  and  the  advice  of  our  friends,  Governour  Cass  and 
Judge  Leib,  I  should  take  my  journey  to  the  eastern  States.  I 
had  written  what  would  make  about  fifty  large  octavo  pages,  enti 
tled  "  Remarks  on  Indian  Reform ;"  the  principal  design  of  which 
was  to  show  the  practicability  of  Indian  reform,  the  obligations 
which  devolved  upon  us  to  carry  it  forward,  and  the  measures 
which  ought  to  be  adopted  for  its  accomplishment.  In  this,  the 
location  of  the  tribes  in  a  permanent  home  west  of  the  State  of 
Missouri,  was  particularly  urged  as  a  measure  essential  to  suc- 
41 


322 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


cess.  To  get  this  work  printed  and  before  the  public  was  a 
prominent  object  contemplated  by  the  journey.  I  also  hoped 
to  prevail  on  the  board  to  present  a  memorial  to  Congress,  in 
favour  of  colonizing  the  Indians.  Should  they  not  consent,  I 
designed  to  endeavour  to  form  a  connection  with  a  society 
which  I  hoped  nlight  be  originated  for  that  special  purpose ;  in 
this  event,  my  connection  with  the  existing  board  of  missions 
would  have  been  dissolved. 

It  appeared  to  us  that  the  time  had  arrived  when  it  became 
indispensable  to  make  a  vigorous  effort  to  obtain  some  provision 
for  the  settlement  of  the  fruit  of  our  schools,  and  of  the  people 
of  our  charge.  It  seemed  next  to  useless  to  wear  out  our  lives 
in  teaching  youths,  who,  on  the  completion  of  their  courses, 
were  to  be  turned  out  to  mingle  with  their  depraved  country 
men  and  kindred,  while  the  latter  were  exposed  to  all  the  con 
taminating  influences  which  emanated  from  unprincipled  white 
men.  We  discovered  that  our  Indians  could  not  possibly  pros 
per  where  they  knew  they  had  no  settled  residence,  and  where 
the  influx  of  white  population,  and  with  it  the  introduction  of 
floods  of  ardent  spirits,  had  already  added  discouragements  to 
their  spiritless  minds. 

October  15th,  1827.  I  took  my  leave  of  the  station,  expect 
ing  to  be  absent  several  months.  Many  circumstances,  particu 
larly  the  situation  of  Mrs.  McCoy,  made  these  adieus  very 
painful.  But  the  interests  of  the  cause  of  Indian  reform,  in 
which  we  had  embarked,  required  the  sacrifice.  I  took  a  man 
with  me,  to  assist  me  in  travelling  through  the  wilderness  to  De 
troit,  which  place  we  reached  on  the  eighth  day.  Four  nights 
of  the  journey  we  encamped  without  a  house.  From  Detroit  I 
sent  two  hired  men  to  Thomas,  and  also  sent  up  the  lakes,  by  a 
schooner,  salt,  flour,  and  other  articles  needed  at  the  station. 

The  most  important  of  missionary  matters  was  that  which 
related  to  the  forming  of  permanent  settlements  in  the  West, 
where  the  scattered  tribes  could  enjoy  the  benefit  of  such  civil, 
religious,  and  literary  institutions,  as  by  the  constitution  of  man's 
nature,  are  essential  to  his  prosperity.  On  reaching  the  city  of 
New- York,  November  7th,  1  was  greatly  encouraged  to  find  the 
substantial  friend  of  our  mission,  the  Rev.  S.  H.  Cone,  warmly 
in  favour  of  these  measures.  He  did  not  content  himself  by 
silently  approving,  as  too  many  do  in  relation  to  the  Indians, 
which  amounts  merely  to  saying,  "be  warm  and  be  fed,  without 
my  help,''  but  he  took  pleasure  in  promoting  these  measures. 
He  had  corresponded  with  other  members  of  the  board,  and  not 
withstanding  some  seemed  to  question  the  eligibility  of  the 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


323 


scheme,  the  approbation  of  the  board  officially  was  justly 
hoped  for. 

1  met  the  board  of  missions  in  Boston,  on  the  13th  of  No 
vember,  at  which  time  it  resolved  that  a  memorial  be  presented 
to  the  next  Congress,  praying  for  the  countenance  of  Govern 
ment  in  forming  a  settlement  of  Indians  in  the  West.  The 
board  having  previously  appointed  me  their  agent  to  go  to  the 
West  on  this  business  when  it  should  be  necessary,  resolved  also 
to  seek  from  Government  a  similar  appointment  for  me.  The 
board  having  examined  the  manuscript  which  I  had  prepared 
on  the  subject  of  Indian  reform,  resolved  that  it  should  be 
printed,  which  was  done  in  Boston  forthwith.  It  was  issued  to 
the  public  gratuitously.  A  copy  was  given  to  each  member  of 
Congress,  and  to  each  of  the  heads  of  the  Departments,  and 
others  distributed  in  the  different  States. 

I  was  in  Washington  City  on  the  llth  of  December;  and 
on  the  12th,  through  the  Honourable  Wilson  Lumpkin,  of  Geor 
gia,  laid  before  the  House  of  Representatives,  the  memorial 
of  the  board  in  favour  of  the  organization  of  an  Indian  territory. 
Mr.  Adams,  President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  Honour 
able  James  Barbour,  Secretary  of  War,  were  made  acquainted 
with  our  plans,  and  the  reasons  which  had  weighed  with  us, 
and  from  each  encouraging  answers  were  obtained.  On  the 
14th  and  28th  of  December  I  was  allowed  interviews  with  the 
Committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives  on  Indian  Affairs, 
for  the  purpose  of  advocating  our  plans  for  Indian  settlement 
in  the  West.  I  formed  a  personal  acquaintance  with  more  than 
thirty  members  of  Congress,  the  greater  part  of  whom  were 
favourable  to  our  designs.  From  the  Hon.  William  McLean, 
Hon.  W.  Lumpkin,  Hon.  R.  M.  Johnson,  and  Hon.  W.  Hen- 
dricks,  I  received  much  assistance. 

While  there  were  encouraging  circumstances  attending  this 
matter,  there  were  many  of  a  contrary  character.  It  was  easily 
perceived,  that  while  many  were  willing  to  make  the  experi 
ment,  from  motives  of  humanity  towards  the  Indians,  they 
doubted  the  possibility  of  rescuing  the  aboriginal  race  from 
extermination.  Many  gentlemen  who  offered  to  aid  in,  any  fair 
experiment  for  the  improvement  of  the  Indians,  and  whose 
polite  attentions  and  prompt  assistance  brought  me  under  very 
great  obligations,  frankly  told  me  that  they  believed  the  Indian 
race  was  destined  to  become  extinct.  It  was  our  duty  to  adopt 
all  feasible  measures  for  their  preservation,  but  all  would  fail. 
Among  objections  to  the  formation  of  an  Indian  territory,  was  one 
,on  the  part  of  the  non-slaveholding  States,  relative  to  the  form- 


324  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

* 

ation  of  new  States  in  the  West.  When  Missouri  was  admitted 
into  the  Union,  it  was,  by  way  of  compromise,  agreed  upon  be 
tween  the  parties,  for  and  against  slavery,  that  thereafter  no  State 
tolerating  slavery,  should  be  formed  north  of  north  latitude  36° 
30',  which  was  the  parallel  of  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
State  of  Missouri.  In  the  formation  of  an  Indian  territory  in 
the  West,  a  portion  of  the  country  north  of  this  line  would  be 
assigned  to  the  Indian  tribes,  and,  consequently,  the  number  of 
non-slaveholding  Slates  would  ultimately  be  curtailed.  A  ma 
jority,  however,  seemed  not  opposed  to  tribes  removing  west 
upon  the  same  parallels  of  latitude  which  they  respectively 
occupied  on  the  east  of  the  Mississippi  river.  The  two  parties 
which  are  necessarily  formed  in  our  Government  upon  the  sub 
ject  of  slavery  have  continued  from  that  time  to  this)  to  mani 
fest  great  tenacity  for  what  each  esteems  its  rights ;  the  non- 
slaveholding  States  opposing  every  measure  which  they  sup 
pose  would  introduce  Southern  Indians  on  to  their  side  of  the 
line  compromised,  and  the  southern  States  as  warmly  opposing 
the  filling  up  of  the  country  on  the  south  side  of  the  line,  with 
Indians  from  the  north.  The  Indians,  when  located  in  the  West, 
were  not  expected  by  either  party  to  become  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  and  it  was  contemplated  that  white  cititizens  would 
be  excluded  from  the  Indian  territory. 

Not  long  before  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking,  the 
Cherokees  formed  for  themselves  a  written  constitution  of  a 
civil  form  of  Government.  They  declared  their  right  to  govern 
themselves,  and  to  control  their  own  territory,  and  their  deter 
mination  never  to  alienate  their  lands.  This  circumstance 
aroused  the  State  of  Georgia,  within  whose  limits  most  of  the 
Cherokees  resided,  to  assert  what  she  esteemed,  and  other 
States  had  conceded  to  be  her  right  to  control  all  within  her 
chartered  limits.  The  agitation  of  this  subject  had  an  impor 
tant  bearing  upon  the  matter  of  forming  an  Indian  territory.  It 
was  evident,  from  many  considerations,  which  will  receive  no 
tice  hereafter,  that  the  result  would  be,  the  removal  of  the 
Cherokees  to  the  West. 

The  scheme  of  an  Indian  territory  contemplated  the  location 
in  it  of  all  the  tribes  east  of  the  Mississippi  river;  which,  added 
to  the  indigenous  tribes  of  that  country,  would  make  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  thousand  souls.  Doubts  were  felt  by  very 
many,  whether  so  great  a  number  could  be  advantageously  set 
tled  within  the  country  that  was  available  for  that  object.  A 
very  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  country  at  that  time  prevailed 
in  the  United  States.  It  was  known  that  it  was  generally  a 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  325 

prairie  country.  It  had  never  been  examined  with  a  view  to 
settlement,  and  according  to  the  reports  of  those  who  had  hastily 
passed  across  it  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  by  those  who  had 
traversed  it  on  the  business  of  the  fur  trade,  its  resources  in 
wood,  water,  and  soil,  were  such  as  would  render  it  inadequate 
to  the  purposes  contemplated. 

The  doubts  which  surrounded  this  subject,  with  regard  to  the 
character  and  resources  of  the  country,  occasioned  painful  anxiety 
to  some  who  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  salvation  of  these  wretch 
ed  people.  All  experience  proved  that  they  could  not  prosper 
when  mixed  up  with  or  when  hemmed  in  by  white  population. 
A  country  of  their  own,  and  occupied  exclusively  by  themselves, 
was  essential  to  their  happiness,  and  even  to  their  existence  as 
a  people.  No  other  place  than  the  one  under  consideration 
would  answer  the  purpose.  The  northern  regions,  owned  by 
the  United  States,  would  be  too  cold  for  the  southern  Indians, 
and  they  would  there  be  pressed  by  white  population  as  com 
merce  on  the  lakes  advanced.  The  objection  noticed  already, 
of  the  northern  States,  to  filling  with  an  Indian  population  a 
portion  of  the  country,  all  of  which  they  desired  should  be 
inhabited  by  a  non-slaveholding  population  of  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  would  apply  with  full  force,  and  their  proximity 
to  a  foreign  Government  would  be  a  ground  of  objection  to  all 
the  States.  If,  therefore,  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi 
should  be  inadequate,  it  appeared  to  some,  that  the  fate  of  the 
Indians  on  our  borders  and  within  the  States  must  be  considered 
as  sealed — they  must  perish  ! 

About  the  year  1818,  a  portion  of  the  Cherokees,  supposed 
to  be  about  three  thousand  in  number,  by  a  treaty  agreement 
with  the  United  States,  had,  at  different  times,  left  the  main 
body  of  the  Cherokees  on  the  east  of  the  Mississippi,  and  had 
obtained  a  settlement  on  the  Arkansas  river.  The  object  of  their 
removal  west,  as  stated  in  the  treaty,  was  not  to  promote  habits 
of  civilized  life,  but  to  follow  their  hunting  and  other  wild  habits 
unembarrassed  by  the  presence  of  a  civilized  population. 

On  the  Arkansas  they  were  soon  overtaken  and  were  sur 
rounded  by  white  population ;  and  in  1828  they  again  treated 
with  the  United  States,  and  changed  their  place  for  that  occu 
pied  by  white  people  on  their  west.  The  white  population,  on 
a  strip  of  country  forty  miles  wide,  extending  in  length,  north 
and  south,  on  the  west  border  of  the  Territory  of  Arkansas, 
removed  to  the  interior,  on  to  what  had  belonged  to  the  Chero 
kees,  and  the  latter  went  west  on  to  this  strip,  of  which,  the 
eastern  boundary  was  made  the  western  boundary  of  the  Ter- 


326 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


ritory  of  Arkansas  ;  so  that  the  Cherokees  were  now  not  only 
west  of  white  settlements,  but  west  of  the  States  and  Terri 
tories. 

The  motives  which  induced  the  location  of  these  Cherokees 
in  this  western  settlement  were  precisely  the  reverse  of  those 
which  now  prompted  the  desire  to  furnish  the  Indians  with  a 
peaceable  and  prosperous  home.  Their  repeated  removals 
were,  on  their  part,  to  avoid  embarrassment  to  their  uncultivated 
habits  by  the  proximity  of  civilization  ;  and  on  the  part  of  the 
Government,  it  was  but  a  continuation  of  the  unjust  policy 
always  practised,  of  removing  the  Indians  further,  to  make  room 
for  while  settlements.  Under  similar  circumstances,  small  por 
tions  of  the  Choctaws  and  Creeks  had  made  settlements  on 
Red  river  and  Arkansas  river.  About  the  same  time,  [1828,] 
the  Shavvanoes,  Weas,  Piankashas,  Peorias,  and  Kaskias,  com 
menced  settlements  on  their  respective  tracts  of  land  within  the 
Indian  territory. 

In  1827,  Col.  Thomas  L.  McKenney  held  negotiations  with 
the  Chickasaws,  by  which  it  was  agreed  that  a  delegation  from 
that  tribe  should  explore  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
with  a  view  to  the  selection  of  a  future  home,  should  they  be 
satisOed  with  the  country.  He  also  made  arrangements  for  a 
delegation  from  the  Choctaws,  to  examine  the  country  assigned 
to  that  tribe,  and  in  which  a  very  few  of  the  Choctaws  were 
then  living,  with  a  view  to  the  removal  ultimately  of  the  whole 
tribe.  Also,  a  delegation  of  Creeks  were  to  visit,  for  like  pur 
poses,  their  kindred  in  the  West.  These  explorations  were  to 
be  made  under  the  supervision  and  at  the  expense  of  the  Uni 
ted  States. 

The  arrangements  thus  made  for  explorations  were  condi 
tional,  the  completion  of  which  depended  upon  the  future  action 
of  Congress.  In  December,  1827,  a  resolution  was  offered  to 
the  House  of  Representatives,  inquiring  into  the  expediency  of 
making  appropriations  to  encourage  some  of  the  southern  tribes 
to  remove.  The  result  was,  that  Congress  made  an  appropria 
tion  to  meet  the  expense  of  explorations,  and  the  same  was 
ordered  by  the  President  to  be  made  the  following  year.  The 
vote  on  the  question  of  this  appropriation  was  so  close  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  that  there  was  a  majority  of  only  ten 
votes  in  its  favour.  The  conduct  of  the  exploration  was  com 
mitted  to  Capt.  George  Kennedy,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  my 
self.  I  was  no  sooner  informed  that  I  should  be  employed,  than 
J  asked  leave  to  take  with  me  also  a  delegation  of  Putawatomies, 
and  another  of  the  Ottawas,  and  to  be  allowed  the  privilege  of 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


327 


making  a  more  extensive  survey  of  the  country  than  was  neces 
sary  in  reference  to  the  three  southern  tribes.  This  request  was 
granted,  for  which,  and  for  the  favour  of  a  commission  to  perform 
a  service  upon  which  I  had  long  desired  to  enter,  and  which 
had  been  contemplated  in  my  appointment  by  the  board  of  mis 
sions,  as  its  agent  in  services  in  the  West,  I  was  under  great 
obligations  to  Col.  McKenney,  in  whom,  after  my  first  acquaint 
ance,  I  always  found  a  friend  while  he  continued  in  office. 

We  had  felt,  to  our  grief,  that  the  work  upon  which  we  had 
entered  was  more  difficult  than  we  had  at  first  anticipated.  We 
had  supposed  that  missionaries,  competent  to  sustain  the  work 
of  Indian  reform,  would  not  be  wanting;  in  this  we  had  been 
disappointed.  We  knew  that  the  influx  of  white  population 
would  crowd  us  out  of  that  country,  but  we  did  not  expect  that 
the  torrent  would  have  overwhelmed  our  affairs  so  soon,  and  not 
until  we  had  made  some  suitable  preparation  for  the  better  loca 
tion  of  our  people.  With  the  board  of  missions  we  had  reasoned 
and  entreated  in  favour  of  seeking  a  better  situation  for  the  In 
dians,  nearly  five  years  before  any  efficient  measure,  or  one 
positively  affecting  the  matter,  had  been  taken.  Its  first  actual 
effort  was  the  presentation  of  its  memorial  to  Congress.  With 
the  Government  and  political  men  we  had  respectfully  laboured 
the  same  length  of  time,  and  we  now  found  the  matter  no  fur 
ther  advanced  than  the  authorizing  of  an  exploration  of  the 
country.  But  great  as  were  our  discouragements,  on  account  of 
the  accumulation  of  evils  around  our  station,  and  the  tardiness 
of  the  public  in  acting,  there  remained  to  us  no  alternative  but 
either  to  see  all  our  hopes  frustrated,  or  to  persevere  in  efforts 
for  a  settlement  in  the  West.  The  board  of  missions  was  not 
disposed  to  incur  any  expense  on  account  of  this  enterprise; 
all  that  we  could  hope  for  from  it  was  its  approbation,  by  which 
our  influence  on  the  subject  elsewhere  might  be  increased. 

Before  I  left  Washington,  Mr.  H.  Lincoln,  Treasurer  of  the 
board,  came  to  aid  in  the  promotion  of  our  plans  on  Indian  mat 
ters.  I  departed  from  Washington  on  the  llth  of  February, 
1828,  and,  after  an  uncommonly  disagreeable  time  on  that  part 
of  the  journey  which  lay  through  the  wilderness,  on  account  of 
rain,  high  water,  and  cold,  arrived  at  Carey  on  the  21st.  In 
my  absence,  three  deaths  had  occurred  in  the  Indian  part  of  the 
mission  family.  The  increasing  evils  arising  from  the  proximity 
of  white  population,  especially  those  attending  the  introduction 
of  ardent  spirits,  showed  the  necessity  of  the  measures  we  had 
been  pursuing  for  a  removal  of  the  Indians.  We  knew  that  our 
labours  there  must,  from  that  time  forward,  be  almost  wholly 


328 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


unavailing.  A  blacksmith,  whom  I  had  sent  to  Thomas  from 
Detroit,  as  I  was  on  my  way  to  the  East,  had  become  dissi 
pated,  and  had  induced  our  friend  Gosa,  who  had  abstained 
almost  wholly  for  about  three  years,  again  to  drink,  and  great 
difficulties  almost  daily  occurred,  on  account  of  ardent  spirits. 
Under  the  torrent  of  evils  beating  upon  them,  we  perceived  that 
the  Indians  around  us  were  rapidly  diminishing  in  numbers. 

While  I  was  absent,  the  situation  of  Mrs.  McCoy  having  ren 
dered  medical  aid  indispensable,  a  hired  white  man,  and  our 
third  son,  only  a  boy,  set  out  for  Fort  Wayne  on  that  errand. 
They  swam  their  horses  twice  across  the  St.  Joseph's  river, 
crossing  themselves  in  canoes.  When  they  reached  Elksheart 
river,  about  fifty  miles  from  Carey,  they  found  it  very  high  ; 
they  encamped  on  its  bank  until  the  following  day,  when,  the 
stream  still  remaining  full,  they  formed  the  imprudent  resolution 
to  swim  it.  One  of  their  horses  was  thought  unable  to  carry 
his  rider  through  ;  they  therefore  put  on  him  most  of  the  bag 
gage  which  was  necessary  in  travelling  through  the  wilderness. 
Their  plan  was  for  the  young  man  to  ride  the  stronger  horse 
across,  while  my  son  drove  in  the  poor  one,  in  the  hope  that  he 
would  follow ;  after  which,  it  was  hoped  that  the  strong  horse 
could  be  induced  to  swim  back,  and  that  my  son  could  mount 
him,  and  swim  him  across  to  his  travelling  companion.  The 
man  and  horse  got  across,  but  the  pack-horse,  being  unwilling 
to  encounter  the  stream,  turned  down  it,  and,  after  losing  his 
load,  saddle,  and  all,  with  difficulty  got  out  on  the  same  side. 
My  son  plunged  into  the  river,  to  endeavour  to  save  some  of 
the  baggage,  but  was  unsuccessful.  The  young  man,  then  at 
tempting  to  return  on  his  strong  horse,  became  disengaged  from 
him,  and  with  difficulty  swam  ashore.  The  horse  came  out, 
but  without  his  saddle.  They  now  found  themselves  on  the 
same  side  on  which  they  had  commenced  their  enterprise,  but 
without  provisions  to  eat,  or  a  blanket  to  make  them  comfort 
able  in  sleep.  Without  saddles,  they  went  twelve  miles  to  a 
trading  house,  where  they  found  a  canoe,  to  which  they  fastened 
one  of  their  horses,  and  dragged  it  back  to  the  place  of  the  dis 
aster,  and  made  an  unsuccessful  search  for  their  lost  property. 
They  then  returned  the  canoe  by  the  same  difficult  means,  and, 
after  a  fruitless  absence  of  seven  days,  returned  to  Carey. 
Medical  aid  was  subsequently  obtained. 

On  the  17th  of  February,  Miss  Eleanor  Richardson,  of  Cin 
cinnati,  Ohio,  arrived  at  the  Thomas  station,  in  the  capacity  of 
a  missionary.  At  the  same  time,  Mr.  David  Richardson,  from 
the  same  place,  united  with  the  missionaries,  with  the  design  of 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


S29 


labouring  at  the  same  station,  but  he  remained  no  longer  than 
till  the  1st  of  July  following,  at  which  time  he  retired  from  the 
missionary  field. 

On  the  27th  of  February,  1828,  Mr.  Lykins  was  married  to 
my  eldest  daughter;  he  was  the  Government  teacher  for  the 
station  among  the  Ottawas,  but  that  station  being  an  appendage 
of  the  station  on  the  St.  Joseph's,  our  labours  were  applied,  as 
our  mutual  necessities  seemed  to  require,  without  much  regard 
to  place  or  office.  In  my  absence,  Mr.  Meeker  and  Mr.  Slater 
had  laboured  at  Thomas,  and  Mr.  Lykins  at  Carey. 

Soon  after  my  return  from  Washington,  it  appeared  necessary 
for  me  to  visit  Thomas.  Accompanied  only  by  my  little  son, 
on  the  24th  of  March  I  set  out,  and  swam  our  horses  across  the 
St.  Joseph's  river.  My  health  was  poor,  and  I  became  so  un 
well  that  I  deemed  it  expedient  to  return,  though,  in  doing  so, 
the  inconvenient  task  of  recrossing  the  river  had  to  be  repeated. 
On  the  following  day  we  again  undertook  the  journey.  Travel 
ling  in  these  wildernesses,  in  the  colder  seasons  of  the  year, 
was  always  severe  on  our  horses,  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of 
grass ;  grazing  being  the  only  dependance  for  their  subsistence. 
About  Indian  villages,  or  where  villages  had  once  been  situated,, 
we  often  found  the  blue  grass,  which  affords  some  grazing  at  all 
seasons.  On  our  journey  we  availed  ourselves  of  a  practice, 
common  to  us,  of  seeking  those  grassy  places,  though  at  the 
expense  of  turning  out  of  our  way.  We  lodged  in  one  of  the 
bark  huts,  but  the  dreariness  of  those  places  in  winter  can  hardly 
be  conceived  by  one  who  has  not  visited  them:  not  an  indi 
vidual  is  to  be  seen  about  them,  nor  any  domestic  animals,  nor 
any  thing  which  is  to  be  employed  for  the  future  use  of  the  un 
settled  owners,  on  their  return  at  the  commencement  of  warm 
weather. 

Matters  at  Thomas,  at  this  time,  appeared  to  be  retrograding. 
The  school  was  reduced  to  twelve  scholars,  and  some  of  the 
neighbouring  Indians  seemed  unfriendly.  1  gave  notice  of  my 
arrival,  and  desired  to  see  them.  Blackskin,  a  chief,  declined 
coming  ;  many  others,  however,  attended,  who  went  away  appa 
rently  well  satisfied.  A  Sabbath  was  spent  there  comfortably, 
when  the  Lord's  supper  was  celebrated  for  the  first  time  at  that 
ptece. 

On  the  1st  of  April  we  left  Thomas,  to  return  to  Carey.     In 
a  storm,  our  horses  attempted  to  escape  from  camp,  and  occa 
sioned  an  unpleasant  jaunt  in  the  night  to  recover  them.     On 
the  following  night,  they  caused  us  to  make  another  brief  noc- 
42 


830 


HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 


turnal  tour  in  the  woods,  at  a  time  when  repose  would  have 
been  more  acceptable. 

We  were  anxious  that  the  board  of  missions  should  establish 
a  station  at  Sault  de  St.  Marie,  as  has  been  stated.  No  mis 
sionary  being  found  to  occupy  the  place,  the  subject  had  been 
so  long  delayed  that  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  had  re 
solved  to  give  the  place  to  another  denomination  (Episcopalians.) 
Ascertaining  this  while  I  was  in  Washington,  in  February,  1828, 
I  renewed  our  application  for  the  occupancy  of  that  place,  and 
offered  additional  assurances  that  we  would  not  abandon  the 
enterprise.  The  Department  continued  to  us  the  privilege  we 
prayed  for,  and  allowed  us  the  further  privilege  of  locating  a 
mile  square  of  land,  provided  by  the  treaty,  on  which  the  pub 
lic  school  was  to  be  established. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  we  received  a  joint  letter  from  the 
Rev.  A.  Bingham  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stannard,  missionaries  to 
a  small  band  of  Indians  at  Tonawanta,  in  New- York,  express 
ing  a  wish  to  unite  with  us  in  missionary  labours.  Mr.  Stannard 
died  not  long  after  this.  We  were  much  gratified  with  an  op 
portunity  of  opening  a  correspondence  with  Mr.  Bingham,  and 
were  not  mistaken  in  hoping  that  it  might  eventuate  in  enabling 
the  board  to  meet  the  engagements  we  had  made  with  the  De 
partment  of  Indian  Affairs,  in  relation  to  the  establishment  of  a 
missionary  station  at  Sault  de  St.  Marie.  We  wrote  the  board, 
without  delay,  in  favour  of  commencing  that  station.  In  1828, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bingham  were  appointed  missionaries,  by  the 
board,  for  that  station,  which  they  have  ever  since  occupied,  with 
commendable  zeal  and  some  success.  The  station  was  located 
near  Fort  Brady,  which  is  garrisoned  as  a  military  post,  and  not 
far  from  a  village  of  two  or  three  hundred  Chippewa  Indians. 
In  1830,  Miss  Eleanor  Macomber  and  Miss  Mary  Rice  were 
appointed  by  the  board  to  labour  at  this  station.  Both  of  these 
females,  on  account  of  imperfect  health,  pretty  soon  left  that 
place  for  other  fields  of  labour.  Miss  Macomber  is,  at  this  time, 
a  missionary  among  the  Karens  in  Burmah. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Cameron  was  a  missionary,  whom  a  Protest 
ant  Episcopal  missionary  society  had  sent  into  that  country. 
While  there,  his  views  on  the  subject  of  baptism,  church  govern 
ment,  &,c.,  became  changed  ;  and  in  1832  he  was  baptized  by 
Mr.  Bingham,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  an  efficient 
coadjutor  in  missionary  labour. 

In  1832  Mr.  Bingham  had  gathered  a  church,  of  the  mem 
bers  of  which  sixteen  were  natives,  and  to  which  a  considerable 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


331 


number  of  natives  have  since  been  added.  Ministerial  labours 
have  also  been  extended  to  the  garrison  with  good  effect,  Mr. 
Bingharn  performing  the  office  of  chaplain ;  and  not  a  few  of 
both  officers  and  privates  have  become  hopefully  pious.  A 
school  in  English  is  kept  in  operation  at  the  station,  containing 
about  thirty  scholars,  about  one  half  of  whom  are  natives,  who 
are  supported  at  the  mission.  A  temperance  society  here  em 
braces  a  very  considerable  number  of  members,  consisting  of 
persons  attached  to  the  garrison,  and  other  white  persons,  and 
of  Indians. 

Miss  Rice,  after  leaving  the  station,  joined  the  mission  to  the 
Creeks  on  Arkansas  river,  within  the  Indian  territory,  as  will  be 
hereafter  noticed;  but  finding  the  climate  unfavourable,  returned 
to  Sault  de  St.  Marie.  The  missionaries  connected  with  the 
station  at  present  (1839)  are  the  Rev.  A.  Bingham,  Mrs.  Bing- 
ham,  the  Rev.  J.  D.  Cameron,  A.  J.  Bingham,  Miss  Mary 
Rice,  and  Shegud,  a  native. 

Journeys,  which  are  sometimes  perilous,  are  made  by  the 
missionaries  to  distant  villages,  the  privations  of  which  are  com 
pensated  by  a  degree  of  success.  The  field,  however,  is  not 
so  encouraging  to  the  missionaries  as  some  others  would  be.  It 
is  a  cold  and  somewhat  steril  region,  along  the  line  between 
the  British  possessions  in  Canada  and  the  United  States,  and 
the  Indian  population  along  the  shores  of  these  lakes  is  very 
sparse.  The  locality  and  character  of  the  country  are  such  as 
make  it  unfavourable  to  the  formation  of  a  colony,  or  of  perma 
nent  settlements  of  industrious  men.  The  natives  will  always 
be  greatly  exposed  to  a  bad  influence,  by  intercourse  with  other 
people. 

In  1838,  a  proposition  was  made  to  some  of  the  people  of 
Mr.  Bingharn's  charge,  to  accompany  delegations  from  their 
kindred  lower  down  the  lakes,  to  the  Indian  territory,  with  a 
view  to  the  selection  of  a  home  therein ;  but  they  declined 
making  the  tour,  preferring  to  extend  their  settlements  up  Lake 
Superior.  This  is  indeed  much  to  be  regretted,  because  that  in 
those  regions  they  must  ever  remain  unsettled,  and  exposed  to 
the  evils  under  which  the  tribes  have  wasted  away  between  the 
Mississippi  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

Murders,  and  deaths  occasioned  in  other  ways  by  intempe 
rance,  continued  to  be  frequent  occurrences  about  our  stations 
of  Carey  and  Thomas.  I  find  in  a  note  in  the  mission  journals 
for  April  6th,  1828,  the  following:  "Nought  but  experience 
could  give  any  one  a  just  idea  of  our  distresses  and  discourage 
ments.  Our  prospects  of  usefulness  in  this  country  are  com- 


382 


HISTORY  Or  BAPTIST 


pletely  blighted ;  the  wretched  Indians  around  us,  without  the 
hope  of  hetter  condition  from  any  improvements  which  they 
may  make,  daily  grow  more  stupid  and  indifferent  to  every  thing 
like  improvement  of  circumstances  in  life,  or  in  mind.  From 
intemperance,  and  other  evils  resulting  from  the  proximity  of 
white  settlements,  they  are  rapidly  wasting  away.  We  have 
little  encouragement  to  visit  them  in  their  encampments,*  to 
converse  with  them  on  the  subject  of  religion,  or  upon  any  other 
subject.  No  people  could  possibly  be  situated  further  from  the 
influence  of  incentives  to  improvement,  than  are  these,  since  the 
approach  of  white  settlements.  We  are  preparing  to  wind  up 
our  affairs  here.  We  shall  endeavour  to  sustain  the  school,  and 
the  labours  connected  therewith,  as  respectably  as  possible,  un 
til  the  last  of  the  missionaries  take  up  their  line  of  march  for 
the  West.  We  will  retrench  our  farming  operations  which  have 
been  necessary  for  ou;1  support,  and,  as  fast  as  practicable,  will 
dispose  of  all  the  property  that  can  possibly  be  spared  from 
immediate  use.  We  daily  feel  more  and  more  sensibly  the  ne 
cessity  of  establishing  ourselves  in  the  West,  if  assurances  can 
be  obtained  from  the  Government  that  there  the  Indians  will  be 
allowed  to  remain" 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Tour  of  exploration.  Pecuniary  embarrassments.  Tour  with 
Putawatomies  and  Ottawas.  Poverty  of  the  Osages.  In 
dians  are  not  taciturn.  The  Indian's  skill  in  following 
foot-prints  overrated.  Miserable  condition  of  the  Kauzaus. 
Tour  with  delegations  of  Creeks,  Chickasaws,  and  Choc- 
taws.  Death  of  a  Creek  Indian.  Council  with  Osages ; 
their  buffalo  hunts,  names,  religion,  condition,  tales,  fyc. 

It  was  the  llth  of  February,  1828,  that  I  left  Washing 
ton,  and  it  was  not  until  the  last  of  June  following  that  we 
received  information  that  an  exploring  expedition  had  been  or 
dered  by  the  Government.  The  interim  was  a  time  of  painful 
suspense.  We  had,  as  early  as  the  1st  of  April,  determined,  by 
permission  of  Providence,  to  make  a  tour  of  exploration  in  that 
country,  within  that  year,  even  if  the  Government  should  not 
authorize  it.  In  this  event,  we  should  have  been  thrown  wholly 

*  Excepting  some  who  had  advanced  considerably  in  civilization,  none 
remained  about  their  villages  in  the  colder  season  of  the  year. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


888 


upon  our  own  responsibilities.  The  board  had  formally  author 
ized  me  to  accept  of  business  under  Government,  but  had  not 
authorized  any  thing  in  relation  to  this  matter  to  be  undertaken 
at  their  cost.  For  the  expense  of  an  exploration,  without  the 
help  of  Government,  we  should  have  been  obliged  to  provide ; 
and  this,  too,  when  the  mission  was  in  debt  more  than  a  thou 
sand  dollars  beyond  the  funds  due  us  for  our  Government  sala 
ries,  &tc.  In  winding  up  our  operations,  however,  we  hoped  to 
be  remunerated  by  the  Government  for  some  of  our  landed 
improvements :  this  income,  and  something  obtained  by  the  sale 
of  property  which  we  could  not  carry  with  us,  on  our  removal 
westward,  added  to  our  salaries  from  the  Government,  we  hoped, 
would  ultimately  enable  us  to  pay  the  debts  which  would  be 
occasioned  by  the  prosecution  of  our  design.  We  therefore 
proceeded  to  engage  Ottawas  and  Putawatofnies  to  accompany 
me  on  the  contemplated  tour. 

In  the  promise  that  had  been  made  to  me  that  I  should  be 
employed,  provided  the  Government  should  authorize  delega 
tions  from  the  southern  tribes,  to  make  a  tour  of  exploration,  it 
had  not  been  intimated  to  me  that  any  direct  action  of  Govern 
ment  would  be  had,  in  order  to  induce  the  Putawatomies  and 
Ottawas  to  send  delegations.  The  Department  of  Indian  Affairs 
had  done  ,no  more  than  to  promise  that,  in  event  of  my  being 
employed,  I  should  be  at  liberty  to  take  some  of  the  Putawato 
mies  and  Ottawas ;  we  therefore  did  not  hope  for  any  action  on 
the  part  of  the  Government,  to  induce  these  tribes  to  send  dele 
gations.  They  knew  that  the  subject  of  an  Indian  settlement 
in  the  West  was  contemplated,  and  it  was  natural  for  them  to 
feel  averse  to  removal ;  and  the  sending  of  delegations  to  explore 
a  country,  with  a  view  to  their  future  settlement  therein,  would 
seem  to  imply  that  they  had  in  some  degree  consented  to  re 
move.  Under  all  these  circumstances,  it  seemed  improbable 
that  they  would  be  inclined  to  send  delegations. 

Application,  therefore,  was  not  made  to  the  respective  tribes 
for  an  official  act  of  sending  delegations  ;  but  while  we  spoke  of 
the  matter  publicly,  and  sometimes  in  council,  it  was  submitted 
as  a  matter  for  the  consideration  of  individuals.  If  any  would 
choose  to  accompany  me,  I  should  be  pleased  to  have  them  do 
so.  Notwithstanding  the  loss  of  time  to  them  was  no  object, 
yet,  as  they  would  go  without  any  certainty  that  they  should 
profit  by  the  journey  as  it  regarded  future  settlement,  not  hav 
ing  agreed  to  remove,  they  demanded  some  reward.  On  such 
occasions,  presents  must  be  given  to  Indians.  On  this  occasion, 
I  made  specific  agreements  with  them  for  the  amount  they 


334 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


should  receive,  in  addition  to  all  travelling  and  other  incidental 
expenses,  and  the  needful  clothing,  horses,  saddles,  &c. 

I  employed  Naoqua  Keshuck,  (or  Noonday,)  Gosa,  and  We- 
sauogana,  from  among  the  Ottawas,  Magaukvvok,  Shawaunuk- 
wuk,  and  Baptist  Chadonois,  from  among  the  Putavvatomies. 
The  latter  was  a  half  Indian,  and  served  as  interpreter.  Having 
engaged  these  men,  we  commenced  our  preparations  for  the 
journey,  purchasing  horses,  &ic.,  all  before  I  knew  that  the  Go 
vernment  would  order  an  expedition,  and  if  it  should  not,  with 
a  design  to  make  it  at  our  own  cost. 

On  the  30th  day  of  June,  1828,  a  commission  from  the  De 
partment  of  Indian  Affairs  reached  me,  dated  the  10th  of  the 
same  month.  This  commission  stated,  "  You  are  at  liberty  to 
take  with  you  three  Putawatomies,  and,  if  necessary,  an  inter 
preter."  I  had  three  Ottawas  also  in  readiness,  and  chose  not  to 
disappoint  them,  though  I  was  not  authorized  to  take  them  with 
me.  The  Government,  however,  without  hesitation,  afterwards 
sanctioned  this  measure. 

Some  mischievous  white  men  who  had  intercourse  with  the 
Indians,  now  undertook  to  prevent  the  Indians  from  accompany 
ing  me.  They  told  them  frightful  tales  respecting  the  country 
we  were  about  to  visit.  It  was  very  far  off,  excessively  hot,  very 
unhealthy,  and  infested  with  venomous  serpents ;  I  designed  to 
deceive  them,  and  lead  them  into  difficulty  ;  and,  moreover,  the 
tribes  residing  there  would  take  our  scalps.  Pocagin,  a  Putawa- 
tomie  chief,  brought  a  party  to  see  the  Ottawa  delegation,  and 
endeavoured  to  dissuade  them  from  accompanying  me  ;  but 
they  could  effect  nothing.  They  next  came  to  see  me,  and 
told  of  these  dangers  of  which  they  had  heard,  &c.,  and,  accord 
ing  to  their  figurative  mode  when  speaking  of  bad  news,  said, 
"  they  had  heard  a  little  bird  singing  the  news  they  spoke  of." 
I  replied,  that  I  had  heard  the  notes  of  the  same  little  bird.  I 
understood  them  well.  "  My  younger  brothers,"  said  I,  "  a 
white  man  has  sent  you  to  tell  these  tales,"  to  which  they  made 
no  answer. 

About  this  time  a  circumstance  occurred,  calculated  to  con 
firm  us  in  the  opinion,  that  of  all  people,  the  aborigines  are  the 
most  friendless.  Our  letters  of  correspondence  were  sometimes 
published,  and  elicited  relief  in  supplies  of  cash  and  clothing, 
forwarded  by  benevolent  individuals  and  societies.  The  corres 
ponding  secretary  requested  that  our  appeals  to  the  benevolent, 
for  aid,  should  be  made  to  the  public  through  the  board  ;  to 
which  we  cheerfully  consented.  In  June,  1828,  we  received  a 
copy  of  the  proceedings  of  an  annual  meeting  of  the  board,  held 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


335 


a  few  weeks  previously,  and  in  their  minutes  honourable  notice 
was  taken  of  the  missionaries  to  the  Indians,  &c.  But  in  an 
address  to  the  public,  setting  forth  the  wants  of  the  missions, 
and  soliciting  pecuniary  aid,  the  board  pleaded  for  Burmah 
and  Africa,  and  for  aid  to  enable  them  to  establish  missions 
in  South  America,  Greece,  and  China,  and  entirely  overlooked 
their  Indian  stations,  as  though  no  help  was  needed  for  them  ; 
and,  indeed,  a  pretty  plain  hint  was  given,  in  the  proceedings  of 
the  board,  that  Indian  stations  would  be  amply  supported  by  the 
Government.  Our  accounts  were  regularly  submitted  to  the 
board,  and  our  mission  was  at  this  time  thirteen  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  in  debt,  beyond  the  amount  of  our  salaries  and  other 
resources  from  Government.  It  seemed  to  us  that  too  little 
interest  was  felt  for  missions  to  the  Indians.  We  regretted  that 
while  we  were  making  extraordinary  exertions  against  the  cur 
rent  of  woes  which  threatened  to  sweep  the  natives  speedily  to 
destruction,  and  were  in  great  want  of  assistance,  that  we  should 
be  left,  as  it  were,  alone.  Neither  missionaries  nor  means  were 
solicited  in  behalf  of  Indian  stations,  both  of  which  were  greatly 
needed.  But,  whatever  were  our  discouragements,  duty  forbid 
our  silence.  We  therefore  wrote  an  address  to  the  public, 
dated  the  26th  of  June,  1828,  from  which  the  following  ex 
tracts  are  here  inserted  : 

"To  FRIENDS  OF  INDIAN  REFORM:  Pecuniary  embarrass 
ments  of  the  missions  at  Carey  and  Thomas  compel  me  at  this 

time  to  appear  before  you For  several  years  the 

moneyed  income  to  the  mission  has  not  been  quite  equal  to  the 
necessary  expenditures.  The  missionaries  have  done  what  they 
could,  by  personal  contrivance  and  personal  exertion,  to  dimi 
nish  demands  upon  the  common  treasury  of  the  board.  Provi 
dence  has  so  far  smiled  upon  their  efforts,  that  for  upwards  of 
four  years  the  society  which  we  have  the  honour  to  serve  has 
not  been  tinder  the  necessity  of  applying  to  purposes  of  this 
mission  one  dollar  besides  moneys  received  from  Government, 
and  moneys  designed  by  benevolent  individuals  and  societies 
specially  for  the  use  of  this  mission.  Even  all  the  money 
donated  for  Indian  missions  generally,  without  specification,  our 
worthy  patrons  have  been  enabled  to  apply  to  [Indian]  stations 
more  needy  than  ours. 

"  In  the  course  of  these  four  years,  however,  the  generous 
bequests  of  Miss  Eliza  Lincoln,  late  of  Boston,  [six  hundred 
dollars,]  and  of  Mrs.  Baxter,  late  of  Pomfret,  Connecticut,  have 
been  received.  Also,  liberal  donations  from  sundry  societies 
and  individuals. 


336 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


"  Within  these  four  years,  some  disbursements  of  a  peculiar 
character  have  been  made.  Such  were  the  expenditures  of 
fitting  out  with  clothing,  horses,  &tc.,  eight  Indian  youths  con 
veyed  to  New- York,  to  pursue  their  studies,  in  1826,  and  two 
others  conveyed  to  Vermont  in  1827,  and  the  travelling  ex 
penses  of  both  parties;  all  of  which  has  been  paid  out  of  the 
mission  funds  above  described.  The  result  has  been  an  ac 
cumulation  of  debt  upon  the  mission,  of  thirteen  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  beyond  its  available  means.  This  sum  the  mission 
now  owes. 

"  The  perplexities  of  our  secular  concerns  have  been  greatly 
augmented  by  the  necessity  of  dealing  on  credit,  or  of  borrow 
ing  money  ;  the  more  so,  on  account  of  our  residence  being 
two  hundred  miles  from  a  bank,  or  from  individuals  who  usually 
accommodate  us  with  loans. 

"  None  more  deeply  sympathize  with  missionaries  in  Bur- 
mah  and  Africa,  and  those  at  other  stations  among  the  Indians, 
than  we.  We  would  cheerfully  divide  with  them  our  last  loaf, 
and  we  would  do  no  more  than  our  duty  in  placing  ourselves 
foremost  among  those  who  were  to  suffer  from  want,  if  such 
suffering  must  come.  We  have  known  that  the  funds  of  the 
society  which  we  have  the  pleasure  to  serve  have  been  low. 
We  have  observed  what  we  esteemed  a  becoming  silence,  out 
of  respect  which  we  cherished  for  other  missionaries,  and  on 
account  of  the  deep  solicitude  we  felt  for  their  happiness  and 
success.  But  the  time  has  arrived  when  circumstances  imperi 
ously  require  us  to  ask  the  liberal  for  aid. 

"  If  you  have  a  dollar  laid  by,  either  in  mind  or  in  purse,  for 
Burmah,  for  Africa,  or  for  other  stations  than  ours,  among  the 
aborigines  of  our  country,  we  do  not  solicit,  nor  will  we  know 
ingly  accept  one  cent  of  it.  But  we  believe  that,  without 
lessening  in  the  smallest  degree  the  streams  of  benevolence 
which  water  those  thirsty  places,  there  are  persons  who,  on 
becoming  acquainted  with  our  wants,  will  delight  to  make  us 
glad  and  grateful  by  their  gifts.  To  such  this  appeal  is  respect- 
fully,  prayerfully,  fervently  made.  It  is  done  in  behalf  of 
scores  of  lovely  youths  in  our  schools,  in  behalf  of  a  suffering 
people  whose  friends  are  too  few.  Can  you  help  us  ?  will  you 

lle'PUS?    •    •    •;•..  "ISAAC    MCCOY." 

According  to  the  instructions  we  had  received,  to  make  our 
appeals  to  the  public  through  the  medium  of  the  board,  the 
above  address  to  the  pliblic  was  forwarded  to  that  body,  with  a 
request  that  it  be  published  in  the  Christian  Watchman,  and 


INDIAN  MISSIONS 


337 


the  Baptist  Magazine,  two  prints  under  its  patronage.  But  the 
board  did  not  see  fit  to  publish  it. 

I  left  Carey,  on  our  tour  of  exploration  to  the  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  on  the  2d  of  July,  1828,  accompanied  by  three  Pu- 
tawatomies  and  three  Ottawas.  Separation  from  my  family  on 
this  occasion  was  painful.  The  weather  was  now  exceedingly 
warm,  and  rny  health  at  this  season  often  failed,  and  sometimes 
brought  me  very  low  with  bilious  fever.  It  was  about  this  time 
of  the  preceding  year  that  my  life  had  been  almost  despaired  of. 
I  was  entering  upon  a  tour  of  several  months  in  a  wilderness 
unknown  to  me.  We  had  been  long  distressed  in  noticing  the 
apathy  which  seemed  generally  to  prevail  upon  this  subject. 
The  bill  authorizing  the  expedition  had  passed  the  House  of 
Representatives  by  a  lean  majority  of  only  ten  votes.  Should 
the  expedition  not  result  in  a  favourable  report,  either  by  the 
caprice  and  failure  of  the  delegations  to  make  the  tour,  or  be 
cause  the  country  should  not  appear  suitable,  or  from  any  other 
cause,  it  would  probably  be  difficult  for  the  friends  to  colonizing 
the  tribes  to  press  the  measure  forward.  We  lamented,  too,  that 
with  five  years'  labour  we  had  not  succeeded  in  eliciting  some 
effective  action  of  the  Christian  public,  and  upon  the  success  of 
the  scheme  of  an  Indian  territory  depended  all  our  hopes  for  the 
salvation  of  the  Indians  from  utter  extermination. 

We  passed  through  the  wilderness  to  St.  Louis,  a  distance  of 
more  than  four  hundred  miles.  We  slept  in  our  tents  in  the 
open  air,  and  twice  on  the  way  I  was  very  sick.  We  reached 
St.  Louis  the  fifteenth  day. 

After  reaching  St.  Louis,  nearly  one  month  elapsed  before 
the  first  of  the  southern  Indians  arrived,  which  consisted  of  a 
company  of  four  Creeks,  conducted  by  Mr.  Luther  Blake.  An 
express  had  been  sent  from  St.  Louis  to  the  Chickasaws,  and, 
on  the  17th  of  August,  information  was  received  that  these  In 
dians  had  resolved  not  to  make  the  tour  before  the  following 
spring.  Another  messenger  was  sent  to  them,  but  the  distance 
was  so  great  that  it  was  not  expected  that  this  latter  could 
return  under  six  weeks.  I  was  exceedingly  unwilling  to  lose 
so  much  time.  Our  Putawatomies  and  Ottawas  were  becoming 
impatient,  and  I  began  to  fear  that  the  expedition  would  fail. 

Gen.  William  Clark,  of  St.  Louis,  who  was  superintendent 
of  Indian  affairs  in  the  western  district,  had  been  required  by 
the  Secretary  of  War  to  give  a  direction  to  our  movements  I 
applied  to  him  for  permission  to  make  a  tour  with  the  Putawato 
mies  and  Ottawas,  proposing  to  return  to  St.  Louis  by  the  time 
that  the  messenger  to  the  southern  tribes  would  arrive,  either 

43 


338 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


with  those  Indians  or  with  intelligence  from  them.  But  to  this 
measure  a  very  formidable  obstacle  presented  itself.  The  De 
partment  of  Indian  Affairs  had  ordered  that  none  of  the  delega 
tions  should  move  from  St.  Louis  until  the  Chickasaws  had 
arrived,  and  were  ready  to  proceed.  Gen.  Clark,  therefore, 
declined  the  responsibility  of  giving  me  orders  to  proceed  with 
our  Putawatomies  and  Ottavvas,  as  I  proposed.  Dr.  Todson, 
who  had  been  appointed  physician  to  attend  the  explorations, 
and  who  was  now  unemployed,  also  declined  accompanying  me 
without  positive  orders.  I  was  told,  too,  that  the  season  was 
so  hot  and  sickly,  and  the  horse  flies  so  numerous,  together  with 
the  supposed  scarcity  of  water  in  the  prairies,  that  I  should  not 
be  able  to  make  the  tour.  Finding,  however,  that  the  journey 
could  be  undertaken  without  a  breach  upon  the  feelings  of  Gen. 
Clark,  I  assumed  the  responsibilities,  and  set  off  for  the  western 
wilderness  on  the  2lst  of  August.  On  the  eve  of  departure, 
Gen.  Clark  sent  to  me  the  following  brief  instructions,  which 
I  was  happy  to  receive. 

"  Superintsndency  of  Indian  Affairs,  > 
St.  Louis,  August  20,  1828.       { 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  As  the  exploring  party  of  Chickasaws  are  not 
expected  here  before  the  20th  of  next  month,  and  will  not  be 
in  advance  of  this  State  until  the  1st  of  October,  and  as  the 
Putawatomies  and  Ottavvas,  who  accompanied  you  to  this  place, 
are  unwilling  to  delay,  I  would,  in  accordance  with  your  sug 
gestions,  recommend  that  you  proceed  with  your  party,  and 
explore  a  portion  of  the  country  purchased  of  the  Osages  and 
Kauzaus,  west  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  westward  of  the  Osage 
and  Shawanoe  reservations,  and  north  of  the  Kauzau  reserva 
tion,  taking  care  not  to  go  so  far  west  as  to  endanger  your  party 
by  falling  in  with  war  parties  of  Pawnees,  and  other  tribes  who 
are  at  war  with  the  Osages  and  Kauzaus.  The  Indian  agents 
in  your  direction  are  informed  of  your  movements,  and  will 
afford  you  every  aid  and  assistance  in  their  power.  You  will 
take  JNoel  Mograin,  a  half-breed  Osage,  who  is  acquainted  with 
the  country,  the  routes  of  the  Indians,  and  speaks  the  Osage 
and  Kauzau  languages.  I  must  request  the  favour  of  you  to 
write  me  from  Harmony  mission,  and  on  your  return  to  Camp 
Leavenworth,  or  the  out  settlements,  and  state  your  views  and 
wishes,  that  I  may  be  enabled  to  afford  such  aid  as  may  be 
necessary. 

"  Accept  the  assurance  of  my  best  wishes. 

"  Yours,  sincerely,  WM.  CLARK." 

Rev.  Isaac  McCoy. 


INDIAN     MISSIONS.  33 1) 

I  hired  two  white  men,  to  assist  in  packing,  camping,  &z;c. 
We  were  in  all  nine  in  number,  with  twelve  horses,  and  well 
equipped  with  guns,  pistols,  &tc.  While  resting  at  our  camp 
on  Sunday,  the  24th  of  August,  my  riding  beast  escaped,  but  on 
the  following  day  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  purchase  another. 

Our  Indians  were  unsuccessful  in  their  efforts  to  take  any 
game  of  more  value  than  a  turkey,  until  the  28th  of  August, 
when  Gosa  brought  in  a  young  bear,  and  reported  that  he  had 
wounded  the  dam.  This  circumstance  raised  the-spirits  of  our 
Indians  not  a  little,  and  on  the  following  morning  the  old  bear 
was  taken.  On  leaving  camp,  Noonday  placed  the  feet  of  the 
bears,  and  such  other  pieces  as  had  been  left,  at  the  root  of  a 
tree,  and  carefully  covered  them  with  brush  and  leaves.  When 
I  inquired  the  reason  for  this,  I  was  answered,  "  that  the  form  of 
the  bear  so  much  resembled  that  of  man,  that  it  was  thought 
there  might  be  some  relationship  between  men  and  bears  ;  and  on 
this  account,  some  respect  in  regard  to  funerals,  was  due  the 
latter."  He  pronounced  a  brief  address  over  the  deceased,  the 
substance  of  which  was,  that  he  had  now  respectfully  performed 
the  last  services  which  could  be  rendered  to  the  dead,  by  which 
he  would  have  the  latter  to  understand  that  he  desired  to  per 
petuate  the  good  will  which  had  long  existed  between  the  bear 
family  and  that  of  the  Ottawas,  and  hoped  that  no  offence  would 
be  taken  on  account  of  what  had  happened  in  this  case. 

We  called  on  Noel  Mograin,  the  half  Osage,  who  was  to  be 
our  interpreter  and  guide,  and  he  refused  to  go  with  us  unless  I 
would  employ  another  old  Osage,  who  sat  by.  This  I  was 
under  the  necessity  of  doing.  On  inquiring  where  his  horse 
was,  Mograin  pointed  to  the  old  man's  legs,  and  said,  "  There 
is  his  horse,  one  that  has  served  him  many  years." 

Our  company  now  consisted  of  eleven  persons,  with  thirteen 
horses  and  Mograin's  dog.  Our  old  Osage  moved  off  on  foot, 
little  encumbered  with  travelling  baggage.  He  had  deerskin 
moccasins  on  his  feet,  and  the  same  material  composed  his 
leggins.  He  wore  the  usual  small  cloth  about  the  loins,  and 
above,  his  body  was  naked  ;  even  his  head  was  but  partially 
covered  with  hair.  He  carried  an  old  gun  which  I  had  had 
repaired  for  him,  a  horn  and  pouch,  and  an  additional  pair  of 
moccasins.  A  piece  of  an  old  blanket  was  thrown  across  his 
shoulder  under  the  gun,  and  a  small  sack,  containing  about  a 
pint,  was  fastened  to  the  belt.  Thus  equipped,  this  old  man,  of 
nearly  sixty,  set  off  on  a  six  weeks'  tour  in  the  desert. 

My  first  acquaintance  with  Osages  was  formed  on  the 
Osage  river.  On  thef  morning  of  the  4th  of  September,  a 


340 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


wretched  old  woman  placed  herself  by  our  fire,  and  set  up  a 
hideous  lamentation  and  howling.  We  conjectured  that  it  was 
a  method  of  begging,  and  gave  her  a  little  food,  and  left  her.  On 
the  same  day  we  passed,  in  the  wilderness,  a  company  consisting 
of  two  Osage  women,  a  girl,  two  boys,  and  two  infants.  They 
had  three  small  horses.  On  one  was  seated  a  naked  child,  the 
mother  on  foot,  leading  the  animal.  The  girl  rode  another,  and 
on  the  third  rode  a  mother,  destitute  of  any  clothing  above  the 
loins,  and  with  bare  feet  and  ancles,  and  holding  in  her  arms  an 
infant  in  a  state  of  perfect  nudity.  The  boys  were  both  naked. 
One  carried  an  old  gun,  and  the  other  a  bow.  None  had  a 
covering  for  the  head,  except  a  heavy  coat  of  neglected  hair, 
hanging  loosely.  This  wretched  company  was  in  search  of 
roots  for  food.  Among  our  more  northern  tribes,  the  men  and 
children,  when  about  their  homes  in  warm  weather,  were  usually 
destitute  of  clothing;  but  we  seldom  saw  an  adult  female  without  a 
covering  for  the  body.  Young  women  among  the  Osages  some 
times  wear  a  strip  of  cloth  eight  or  nine  inches  broad,  resting 
on  one  shoulder  and  passing  over  the  breast  and  under  the 
opposite  arm.  On  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  September,  1  was 
attacked  with  sickness  and  was  obliged  to  take  physic.  I  was 
scarcely  able  to  travel  for  .several  days,  but  circumstances  com 
pelled  me  to  proceed,  though  scarcely  able  to  sit  upon  my 
horse. 

I  had  noticed,  on  the  3d,  that  Mograin  had  fears  that  his  old 
Osage  would  desert  us.  In  order  to  reconcile  him  to  our 
company,  we  had  made  his  lodgings  more  comfortable  than  his 
own  scanty  means  would  afford,  and  on  this  morning  I  informed 
him  that  he  should  be  permitted  to  ride  on  horseback  a  portion 
of  the  time.  The  old  man  was  regaling  himself  with  his  pipe 
when  we  left  camp,  and  noticing  that  he  had  not  joined  us 
after  we  had  proceeded  about  a  mile,  Mograin  turned  back  in 
quest  of  him.  Fearing  that  we  should  lose  Mograin  also,  I 
sent  Gosa  with  him.  They  discovered,  from  the  tracks  of  the 
old  Osage,  that  he  had  turned  his  back  upon  us,  and  we  heard 
no  more  of  him.  The  loss  was  not  esteemed  great  by  any 
except  Mograin,  whom  I  endeavoured  to  satisfy  that  we  should 
be  able  to  accomplish  our  object  without  him.  I  had  discovered 
that  Mograin  was  uneasy,  lest  we  should  penetrate  the  wilder 
ness  so  far  as  to  fall  in  with  war  parties  hostile  to  the  Osages. 
On  the  6th  of  September,  we  discovered  from  the  rising  ground, 
that  the  Osage  river,  which  we  were  ascending,  made  two 
branches.  Mograin  confidently  affirmed  that  the  northern 
branch  was  the  main  stream;  by  ascending  this,  we  would  reach 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


341 


its  source,  and  consume  our  time,  without  going  so  far  west  as 
we  should  be  led  by  the  southern.  I  doubted  the  correctness 
of  the  opinion  he  advanced,  and  after  occupying  an  elevation  in 
the  prairie  for  some  time  in  waiting  for  some  hunters  who  were 
out,  to  join  us,  and  discharging  our  guns  to  give  them  notice  of 
our  situation,  I  changed  my  course,  in  defiance  of  the  strong  re 
monstrances  of  Mograin.  I  was  not  mistaken  in  regard  to  the 
course  of  the  river.  On  the  decision  of  this  question,  Mograin 
appeared  mortified.  I  knew  not  whether  to  attribute  his  error 
to  a  want  of  fidelity,  and  a  design  to  mislead,  and  keep  us  out 
of  danger,  or  to  ignorance  of  the  situation  of  the  country.  At 
any  rate,  I  felt  admonished  to  be  my  own  pilot  from  that  time 
forward. 

This  was  a  year  when  theCamanchesand  other  remote  tribes 
were  uncommonly  troublesome  to  companies  of  traders  return 
ing  from  Santa  Fe  to  the  United  States.  The  time  of  our 
sojourning,  in  September,  was  that  in  which  those  companies 
were  returning.  I  had  reason,  therefore,  to  suppose  that  hos 
tile  parties  would  watch,  along  the  Santa  Fe  road,  for  opportu 
nities  to  do  mischief.  On  the  10th  of  September  we  were  near 
the  source  of  the  Osage  river,  and  from  information  I  knew  we 
must  be  not  for  from  the  Santa  Fe  road.  As  we  were  every 
day  getting  nearer  those  whom  we  did  not  wish  to  see,  I  admo 
nished  our  Indians  to  be  always  on  their  guard  ;  their  guns 
should  always  be  in  good  order  for  use,  and  individuals  ought 
never  to  separate  themselves  from  the  main  body.  But,  with 
all  that  I  could  say  about  danger,  our  Putawatomies  and  Otta- 
was,  being  much  delighted  with  the  beautiful  appearance  of  a 
fine  prairie  country,  and  with  the  sport  of  firing  on  deer  and  elk, 
could  not  feel  much  concerned  for  the  safety  of  their  scalps. 
On  the  evening  of  September  llth,  I  adopted  other  methods 
to  induce  them  to  be  more  careful.  I  pointed  out  a  small  soli 
tary  grove  at  a  distance,  surrounded  by  prairie  lands,  in  which  I 
proposed  to  encamp.  We  had  that  day  crossed  the  trail  of  a 
large  party,  going  in  a  direction,  however,  which  gave  me  no 
uneasiness.  I  stated  to  them,  that  if  our  trail  should  be  dis 
covered  by  our  enemies,  we  should  probably  be  followed.  I 
therefore  pointed  out  a  place  to  which  I  desired  Gosa  to  return, 
after  we  had  encamped,  and  watch  the  track  we  had  made,  to 
see  if  enemies  were  following,  while  we  would  proceed  on 
ground  that  would  afford  the  most  favourable  opportunity  for  his 
discovery  of  any  evil  design  against  us.  At  camp,  not  a  bell 
on  our  horses  was  allowed  to  tinkle,  lest  the  sound  might  attract 
an  unwelcome  visitant.  Notwithstanding  all  the  pains  which  I 


342 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


had  taken  to  induce  the  Indians  to  feeJ  concerned  for  their 
safety,  they  remained  the  same,  always  cheerful,  unconcerned, 
and  careless. 

Desiring  to  .ascertain,  as  well  as  I  could,  in  what  part  of  the 
country  we  were,  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  I  took  one  man 
only,  because  I  would  avoid  making  much  sign  of  foot  marks, 
and  proceeded  about  three  miles,  and  struck  the  Santa  Fe  road. 
Returning  to  camp,  we  bore  southward,  on  to  the  Neosho  river, 
and  ascended  that  stream. 

For  a  few  days  we  had  found  game  uncommonly  scarce — a 
circumstance  from  which  we  inferred  that  Indian  hunters  were 
near,  or  that  they  had  recently  been  there.  We  were  becom 
ing  scarce  of  provisions,  when,  on  the  13th  of  September,  we 
discovered  a  flock  of  about  twenty  elk.  I  and  our  two  white 
men  encamped,  and  remained  by  the  baggage,  while  I  gave  the 
Indians  permission  to  employ  the  remainder  of  the  day,  if  they 
chose,  in  chase  of  the  elk,  or  in  hunting  in  any  other  way. 
They  had  fine  sport,  and  in  the  evening  brought  in  a  very 
good  elk. 

Shawaunukwuk  had  been  sick  a  few  days,  and  his  symptoms 
having  indicated  an  attack  of  bilious  fever,  1  had  resolved  to 
give  him  medicine  on  the  evening  of  this  day.  I  desired  him 
not  to  go  in  chase  of  the  elk,  but  to  remain  in  carnp  with  me  ; 
but  his  disposition  to  enjoy  the  rare  sport  of  killing  elk  was  too 
ardent  to  be  restrained.  Becoming  quiet,  after  his  violent  and 
animated  exercises  through  the  day,  he  raised  bile  so  freely  that 
I  omitted  administering  medicine,  and  was  not  mistaken  in 
hoping  that  it  would  not  be  necessary.  The  beneficial  effects 
which  would  have  been  sought  in  the  administration  of  an 
emetic,  or  a  dose  of  calomel,  were  produced  by  the  exercises  of 
the  preceding  day,  and  restoration  of  health  followed.' 

The  following  day,  being  the  Sabbath,  we  remained  in  camp; 
being  two  nights  in  succession  in  the  grove,  we  afforded  the 
wolvos  an  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  our  resting 
place.  On  the  latter  night  I  heard  an  animal  helping  itself  at 
our  elk  meat  and  some  venison  near  me.  I  supposed  at  the 
time  it  was  Mograin's  dog,  and  thinking  that  he  would  undoubt 
edly  leave  enough  for  the  use  of  the  better  portion  of  our 
company,  I  remained  contented,  and  slept  on.  In  the  morning 
I  was  surprised  to  find  that  the  w7olves  had  drawn  largely  upon 
our  stock  of  meat,  although  it  lay  near  my  head.  Mograin's 
dog  lay  quietly  by  the  fire  at  the  same  time,  within  a  few  feet, 
but  had  been  either  too  lazy  or  too  liberal  to  give  an  alarm. 

I  have  thought  that  no  situation  in  life  in  which  men  associate, 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


343 


more  rapidly  and  correctly  developes  the  disposition  of  a  man 
than  one  of  these  wilderness  excursions.  Melancholy  and  viva 
city,  with  the  causes  by  which  each  is  produced,  are  strongly 
marked,  Hunger,  fatigue,  exposure,  and  disappointment,  seldom 
fail  to  produce  melancholy,  while,  upon  a  reverse  of  circumstan 
ces,  the  spirits,  with  equal  facility,  become  animated.  However 
depressed  the  spirits  of  our  Indians  might  seem  to  be  at  the  time 
of  encamping,  they  seldom  reclined  upon  their  blankets,  after  a 
comfortable  meal,  without  regaining  their  accustomed  cheer 
fulness. 

Almost  all  who  have  written  about  the  aborigines  of  America 
have  reported  them  to  be  remarkable  for  taciturnity.  This  has 
not  been  the  case  within  the  sphere  of  my  acquaintance.  Silence 
is  sometimes,  though  very  seldom,  imposed  upon  an  Indian  by 
reverence  for  a  white  man,  and  sometimes  by  jealousy,  anger, 
dislike,  and  the  difficulty  attending  intercommunication.  But 
where  these  obstacles  do  not  exist,  I  have  found  them  uncom 
monly  loquacious.  They  are  particularly  so  among  themselves. 
From  the  time  I  started  with  these  Putawatomies  and  Ottawas, 
from  Michigan,  until  we  had  made  their  tour  so  far  as  to  return 
to  St.  Louis,  I  rose  early  and  travelled  industriously  every 
journeying  day.  Nevertheless,  it  was  common  for  them  to 
spend  hours  at  night,  short  as  the  nights  were  at  that  season,  in 
reciting  humourous  anecdotes,  which  they  enjoyed  exquisitely, 
as  was  manifest  by  their  animated  peals  of  laughter.  When 
they  had  not  fact,  of  which  to  compose  a  story,  fiction  supplied 
its  place,  and  was  employed  with  equal  facility.  Their  tent 
was  always  near  my  own,  and  for  some  time  after  we  com 
menced  our  journey,  and  before  habit  had  overcome  the  incon 
venience,  these  long,  merry  conversations  were  a  great  annoy 
ance  to  me  when  I  desired  to  sleep.  The  night  after  their 
grand  elk  chase  was  memorable  for  this  kind  of  glee. 

On  the  15th  of  September,  1828,  we  resumed  our  journey 
early.  Saw  deer,  elk,  and  antelopes,  and  the  men  again  en 
joyed  themselves  in  hunting.  Crossed  a  trail  of  men  going 
south,  which  Mograin,  on  examination,  supposed  had  been  made 
by  a  war  party  going  against  his  people,  (the  Osages,)  who 
lived  in  that  direction.  On  the  following  day  we  again  reached 
the  Santa  Fe  road,  on  the  upper  branches  of  Neosho  river. 
We  changed  our  course,  and  recrossed  the  Indian  trail  seen  the 
preceding  day.  I  now  alighted  and  examined  it  myself,  and 
found  Mograin  again  in  error.  I  discovered  the  print  of  horses' 
feet,  as  well  as  those  of  men,  and  therefore  knew  that  it  had  not 
been  made  by  a  war  party,  for  a  party  hostile  to  the  Kauzaus 


344 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


and  Osages  would  not  approach  so  near  their  towns  on  horse 
back. 

Remarkable  skill  in  following  the  footmarks  of  man  or  beast 
has  been  ascribed  to  the  Indian ;  and  this  circumstance  has  not 
unfrequently  been  urged  as  a  reason  for  employing  them  as 
auxiliaries  against  their  countrymen,  in  wars  which  existed 
between  the  latter  and  civilized  nations.  To  say  nothing  of  the 
cruelty  of  hiring  these  credulous  and  ignorant  people  to  hunt 
and  butcher  their  brethren  who  had  done  them  no  injury,  and 
for  no  other  reason  than  to  gratify  the  white  man's  ambition,  or 
to  keep  the  white  man  out  of  danger,  facts  prove  that  their  em 
ployment  for  trailing  was  not  necessary.  We  admit  that,  by 
habit,  an  Indian  is  better  qualified  to  trace  the  footmarks  of  a 
man  or  of  a  beast  than  a  man  who  has  been  educated  in  the 
City  of  New- York.  But  his  skill  in  this  respect  is  not  superior 
to  that  of  thousands  of  white  men  in  new  countries,  who  are 
not  only  more  or  less  accustomed  to  the  chase,  but  who,  for 
want  of  grazing  enclosures,  are  compelled  to  turn  their  stock  at 
large,  and  to  search  for  more  or  less  of  it  almost  daily. 

In  the  time  of  the  last  war  between  England  and  the  United 
States,  I  resided  on  the  frontiers  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  where 
the  Indians  frequently  made  inroads  into  our  settlements,  and 
murdered  our  citizens,  and  committed  depredations  on  our  pro 
perty.  I  frequently  made  one  of  the  party  which  followed  the 
Indians,  as  they  retreated  from  the  settlements,  after  they  had 
accomplished  their  errand  of  mischief.  They  would  often  scat 
ter,  and  not  all  walk  in  the  same  place,  in  order  that  their  signs 
might  be  so  dim  that  their  tracks  could  not  be  perceived  by  their 
pursuers.  They  would  not  only  choose  the  pathless  wilderness, 
but  such  ground  in  it  as  would  receive  the  least  impression  from 
the  foot  of  a  man.  Nevertheless,  their  pursuers  were  almost 
invariably  able  to  follow  their  trail,  and  in  some  instances  in 
which  they  had  retired  with  all  the  caution  alluded  to  above, 
we  were  able  to  travel  after  them  in  a  brisk  gait.  I  arn  confi 
dent  that  I  have  never  known  an  Indian  more  skilful  in  trailing 
than  many  white  men  with  whom  I  have  been  acquainted. 

Uncommon  skill  has  also  been  ascribed  to  the  Indian  in  steer 
ing  his  course  through  a  trackless  wilderness.  This,  to  a  certain 
extent,  is  true.  He  is  at  home  in  every  place,  and  hence  he  can 
pass  through  the  wilderness  to  any  place.  If  encamped,  he  can 
make  an  excursion  around  on  a  day's  hunt,  and  return  to  his 
encampment  at  night  with  more  certainty  than  most  white  men 
who  have  occasion  to  go  into  the  woods.  From  the  habits  of 
the  Indian  we  have  a  right  to  expect  this  and  no  more.  As  a 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


845 


pilot  in  the  exploration  of  a  wilderness  country,  with  such  ob 
jects  in  view  as  induced  the  expedition  of  which  I  am  speaking, 
I  should  not  desire  an  Indian.  I  have  never  derived  any  benefit 
from  an  Indian,  as  a  pilot,  in  any  exploration  that  I  have  made, 
and,  excepting  the  commencement  of  the  one  of  which  I  am 
here  speaking,  I  have  been  my  own  pilot. 

On  the  night  of  the  17ih  of  September  we  encamped  on  tli« 
waters  of  the  Kauzau  river.  On  the  following  morning  we  fell 
in  with  a  Kauzau  hunter,  from  whom  we  ascertained  that  we 
were  near  the  most  remote  of  the  Kauzau  villages.  As  we 
came  in  sight  of  two  houses,  which  were  situated  about  two 
miles  from  the  main  village,  we  discovered  that  the  inhabitants 
were  alarmed.  We  were  a  mile  or  more  from  them,  and  open 
prairie  fay  between  us.  I  led  the  company  along  an  elevation, 
so  that  they  might  have  a  fair  view  of  us,  supposing  that  they 
would  discover,  by  our  hats  and  other  accoutrements,  that  we 
were  from  the  land  of  civilized  men,  and  were  not  hostile  Indi 
ans,  as  they  feared.  But  their  fears  were  not  so  easily  allayed. 
We  saw  them  in  great  confusion,  and  the  women  and  children 
fleeing  to  a  grove  to  conceal  themselves.  We  were  passing 
near  a  grove  of  timber,  towards  which  I  saw  a  man  running. 
Supposing  it  was  one  coming  to  inquire  who  we  were,  I  directed 
Mograin  to  hasten  to  meet  him.  I  followed,  directing  the  com 
pany  to  keep  at  some  distance  in  the  rear,  in  order  to  diminish 
the  fears  of  the  runner.  We  came  to  him  in  a  grove,  just  as 
he  had  reached  a  couple  of  horses  which  were  grazing  there, 
when  we  found  that  his  violent  effort  had  been  to  remove  his 
horses,  in  order  to  prevent  an  enemy,  as  he  supposed  us  to  be,, 
from  taking  them.  He  had  his  moccasins  on  his  feet,  and  wore 
his  small  cloth  ;  excepting  these,  he  was  entirely  naked.  He 
held  his  gun  in  his  hand,  with  his  pouch  and  powder  horn  across 
his  shoulders.  Mograin  spoke  to  him  as  soon  as  he  came  near 
enough  ;  still,  it  was  some  time  before  he  could  recover  from  his 
fright,  and  appear  composed. 

I  hurried  him  off  at  full  speed,  to  inform  the  inmates  of  the 
two  houses  that  we  were  friends,  and  not  foes.  While  our  com 
pany  moved  slowly  on,  we  were  met  by  men  and  women  a  half 
a  mile  before  we  reached  the  houses,  the  latter  bringing  us  a 
present  of  boiled  corn  in  a  kettle.  By  the  runner  I  also  sent  a 
message,  accompanied  by  a  few  twists  of  tobacco,  to  the  village, 
informing  them  of  our  approach.  Many  of  the  town's  people 
came  to  meet  us,  and  as  we  neared  the  village  the  crowd  thick 
ened.  I  made  inquiry  for  a  suitable  place  to  encamp,  but  their 
stories  were  so  long,  their  inquiries  so  numerous,  and  Mograin  V 

44 


346 


HISTORY   OF   BAPTIST 


conversations  and  interpretations  so  tedious,  that  I  was  forced  to 
turn  off  to  such  a  place  as  I  conjectured  would  be  suitable,  and 
direct  the  company  to  follow. 

At  camp  we  packed  up  our  baggage  snugly,  to  prevent  them 
from  purloining  it ;  and,  leaving  the  two  white  men  to  guard 
it,  I  took  our  Indians  an.d  went  into  the  village  to  a  council 
which  I  had  requested.  At  camp,  and  at  all  other  places,  men, 
women,  children,  and  dogs,  swarmed  about  us.  We  were 
conducted  into  a  large  bark  hut,  in  the  more  central  part  of 
which  were  two  fireplaces.  This,  with  the  exception  of  a 
small  space  at  each  fire,  was  instantly  crowded  ;  such  a  scene 
ensued  as  I  had  never  before  witnessed,  of  crowding  of  men, 
women,  and  children,  talking,  scolding,  crying  of  children,  a 
few  of  the  good  mothers  singing  to  quiet  them,  dogs  fighting, 
and  the  conquered  begging  loudly  for  quarters.  Boiled  corn,  in 
two  large  wooden  bowls,  supplied  with  a  few  buffalo  horn  spoons 
and  ladles,  were  placed  before  us.  We  ate,  and  smoked,  and 
talked,  being  obliged  to  elevate  our  voices  in  order  to  be  heard 
amidst  the  din  of  noises  by  which  we  were  surrounded.  We 
breathed  an  atmosphere  which  was  far  from  pleasant,  to  improve 
which  I  made  a  little  aperture  in  the  fragile  bark  wall. 

Sixteen  Pawnees  were  on  a  visit  to  the  village  at  the  time  of 
my  approach.  On  my  requesting  that  they  should  be  invited 
.into  council,  I  was  informed  that  all  excepting  three  had  left  on 
our  arrival.  These,  I  suppose,  had  been  left  behind,  to  ascer 
tain  the  object  of  our  visit.  They  were  found  and  brought 
into  council,  to  whom  we  extended  the  usual  courtesies  of  coun 
cils.  The  Pawnees  and  Osages  were  hostile  to  each  other,  and 
probably  the  suspicion  that  some  of  our  Indians  were  Osages 
induced  the  Pawnees  to  retire  on  our  approach.  Kauzaus  and 
Osages  are  virtually  one  people,  but  the  spirit  of  hostility  be 
tween  the  former  and  the  Pawnees  is  less  virulent  than  between 
the  latter  and  the  Osages. 

The  condition  of  the  Kuazaus  was  similar  to  that  of  the  Osa 
ges.  How  affecting  is  the  contrast  between  an  assemblage  of 
orderly,  decent,  comfortable  people,  in  our  favoured  Christian 
country,  and  that  of  those  barefooted,  bareheaded,  naked,  mise 
rable  Kauzaus !  Some  infidels  have  endeavoured  to  persuade 
the  world  that  the  Indians,  in  their  original  condition,  are  com 
paratively  happy  and  virtuous.  Such  men  are  either  uncandid, 
or  else  they  are  almost  as  ignorant  of  the  true  condition  of  the 
Indians  as  they  are  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  moon. 

Soon  after  our  arrival,  an  elderly  man  proposed  to  assist  in  the 
labour  of  encamping,  cooking,  &,c.  We  accepted  his  services 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


347 


merely  for  his  gratification,  and  he  was  rewarded  with  food  and 
tobacco. 

In  travelling  in  the  wilderness,  the  two  fore  legs  of  a  horse  or 
mule  are  commonly  fastened  together,  about  eight  inches  asun 
der,  with  a  rope,  or  piece  of  bark  or  leather,  denominated  a 
hobble,  to  prevent  the  animal  from  rambling  fur  from  camp  ;  and 
on  each  leader  of  the  company  a  bell  is  hung,  in  order  that  they 
may  be  found  with  the  greater  ease.  On  this  night,  on  which 
we  lay  near  the  Kauzau  village,  we  forbore  to  bell  our  horses, 
lest  the  bells  should  be  stolen.  We  lost  nothing  except  a  few 
buckles  cut  off  the  girths  of  the  saddles,  and  some  other  trifling 
articles,  which  they  had  been  enabled  to  take  without  notice. 
These  prople  resided  on  the  banks  of  the  Kauzau  river,  yet  they 
had  not  then,  nor  have  I  ever  seen  among  them,  a  single  canoe; 
so  different  are  they  in  this  respect  from  the  northern  tribes 
about  the  great  lakes. 

I  had  intended  to  return  on  the  north  side  of  the  Kauzau 
river,  but  the  want  of  a  craft  in  which  to  cross,  and  more  espe 
cially  the  want  of  time,  induced  me  to  take  a  nearer  route  to 
the  white  settlements.  I  discovered  that  I  would  barely  have 
time  to  return  to  St.  Louis,  to  meet  the  southern  delegations. 

About  two  hours  after  we  left  camp  on  the  19lh  of  Septem 
ber,  two  villages  were  seen  across  the  prairie, several. miles  from 
us ;  soon  after  which  we  were  intercepted  by  a  man  on  horse 
back,  who  had  come  at  full  speed  from  one  of  the  villages,  six  or 
seven  miles,  with  no  other  object  in  view,  as  he  said,  than  to  see 
us,  and  obtain  a  piece  of  tobacco.  Like  most  others,  he  was 
unencumbered  with  clothes.  A  chief,  he  said,  had  started  with 
him  on  the  same  errand,  but  the  race  had  proved  too  long  for 
him  and  his  horse. 

When  about  leaving  the  white  settlements,  we  had  relied  upon 
obtaining  bread  stuff  at  an  outer  house,  at  which,  when  we 
arrived,  a  competent  supply  could  not  be  obtained.  We  were 
then  too  remote  from  supplies  to  think  of  returning  for  them. 
I  stated  the  circumstances  to  our  party,  and  asked  them  if  they 
would  be  willing  to  proceed  under  the  inconvenience  of  scarcity 
of  bread.  They  all  preferred  to  proceed,  and  said  they  could 
live  on  meat,  and  the  bread  should  be  preserved  for  me.  We 
took  a  little  corn,  by  the  help  of  which,  and  economy  in  divi 
ding  our  bread  daily  into  small  rations,  we  completed  the  tour  m 
tolerable  comfort  in  this  respect. 

On  the  24th  of  September,  we  arrived  at  some  new  settle 
ments  of  Shawanoes,  on  the  line  of  the  State  of  Missouri.  The 
tour  had  enabled  me  to  acquire  a  pretty  correct  knowledge  of 


348 


HISTORY  OF  BAFflST 


the  country  designed  for  Indian  settlements,  embracing  a  tract 
about  eighty  miles  in  width,  from  south  to  north,  and  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  in  length,  from  east  to  west;  which  country  was 
far  belter  than  I  had  anticipated. 

Whatever  should  be  the  result  of  our  explorations,  or  what 
ever  might  be  the  action  of  the  Government  or  of  the  board  of 
missions,  the  missionaries  had  resolved  to  transfer  their  labours 
to  the  west  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  we  hoped  that  the 
people  of  our  charge  in  the  Lake  country  would  ultimately  be 
drawn  into  that  region.  Therefore,  on  returning  through  the 
white  settlements,  across  the  State  of  Missouri,  I  selected  the 
town  of  Fayette  as  a  stopping  place  for  Mr.  Lykins  and  myself, 
until  we  should  be  able  to  make  suitable  locations  in  the  Indian 
territory. 

We  returned  to  St.  Louis,  after  an  absence  of  fifty  days. 
The  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  were  then  daily  expected.  I 
hastily  equipped  the  Putawatomies  and  Ottawas  for  their  jour 
ney  home,  made  to  them  the  presents  which  they  had  been 
taught  to  expect,  to  which  considerable  additions  were  made, 
greatly  to  their  satisfaction.  They  acknowledged  themselves 
pleased  with  the  country,  and  all,  excepting  Noonday,  expressed 
a  desire  to  return  and  live  in  it,  provided  the  missionaries  should 
settle  therein. 

When  we  first  arrived  at  St.  Louis,  in  July,  Wesauagana,  one 
of  our  Ottawas,  met  with  a  little  girl  about  eleven  years  of  age, 
who  was  a  cousin  of  his.  Her  parents  were  dead,  and  she  had 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  some  poor  Sauks.  The  child  wept, 
and  begged  Wesauagana  to  take  care  of  her,  and  the  Sauks  in 
charge  of  her  also  desired  to  get  rid  of  her.  We  were  boarding 
at  that  time  at  the  house  of  Mr.  John  Brown,  thirteen  miles 
from  St.  Louis.  I  engaged  Mrs.  Brown  to  take  care  of  her 
during  our  absence  in  the  western  wilderness.  The  child  was 
sick,  and  Gosa  and  Wesauagana  would  have  found  it  difficult  to 
convey  her  on  horseback  from  St.  Louis  to  our  boarding  house, 
bad  not  Mr.  Llewellyn  Brown  had  the  goodness  to  allow  her  the 
use  of  his  carriage.  In  making  preparations  for  the  Putawato 
mies  and  Ottawas  to  return  to  their  country,  this  little  orphan 
was  not  overlooked  ;  she  had  by  this  time  recovered  her  health, 
and  now,  comfortably  clothed,  and  with  a  cheerful  countenance, 
little  resembled  the  ragged,  sickly,  neglected  orphan  girl  among 
barbarous  strangers.  She  accompanied  her  kindred  to  the 
North,  with  the  view  of  entering  one  of  our  missionary  families 
in  that  country.  The  company  left  St.  Louis  on  the  10th  of 
October,  1S!28.  {  accompanied  them  until  the  evening  of  the 


INDIAN    MISSIONS, 


349 


llth;  here  we  separated — they  went  on   to  their  homes  in 
Michigan,  and  I  returned  to  St.  Louis. 

On  the  12th,  the  delegations  of  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws, 
so  long  looked  for,  reached  St.  Louis;  we  therefore  set  about 
preparing  for  another  tour  in  the  wilderness.  Had  I  consulted 
my  feelings,  irrespective  of  duty,  I  should  have  decided  on  re 
turning  to  my  family.  Our  company  consisted  of  thirteen 
Chickasaws,  six  Choctaws,  and  four  Creeks ;  the  first  accom 
panied  by  Mr.  Duncan,  the  second  by  Mr.  Haley,  and  the 
third  by  Mr.  Blake.  Besides  these,  the  Chickasaw  delegation 
had  been  allowed  to  take  three  white  men,  as  helpers.  Lieu 
tenant  Washington  Hood,  of  the  United  States'  army,  and  Mr. 
John  Bell,  were  topographists,  and  Dr. Todson  was  phy 
sician.  These,. with  Captain  Kennerly  and  his  servant,  and  a 
coloured  servant  of  the  Chickasaw  chief,  Levi  Colbert,  made  a 
company  of  thirty-six. 

It  appeared  to  me  that  the  plan  of  the  expedition  had  not 
been  judiciously  laid,  and  that  the  southern  delegations  had  for 
some  time  been  under  a  bad  influence  from  white  men,  and  I 
soon  despaired  of  our  being  able  to  accomplish  as  much  as 
would  be  a  fair  equivalent  for  the  labour,  and  what  was  likely 
to  be  the  expense  of  the  enterprise. 

In  our  commissions,  the  direction  of  the  daily  movements  of 
the  party  had  been  assigned  to  Captain  Kennerly,  and  the  funds 
to  meet  the  expenses  had  been  intrusted  to  me.  A  few  hours 
after  my  first  interview,  the  Chickasaws,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Duncan,  desired  me,  in  not  very  modest  terms,  to  place  in  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Duncan  one  thousand  dollars,  which  he  might 
have  liberty  to  expend  for  them  as  they  and  he  should  choose. 
This  I  declined.  By  reasoning  with  them  respecting  my  ac 
countability  in  the  management  of  the  funds,  and  assuring  them 
that  their  comfort  and  convenience  should  not  be  neglected, 
they  appeared  to  become  satisfied.  I  have  seldom  found  In 
dians  difficult  to  manage  by  a  reasonable  course.  The  chief 
difficulties  attending  the  management  of  Indian  matters,  at  all 
times,  relate  to  white  men  about  them.  The  demand  was  after 
wards  renewed  for  at  least  five  hundred  dollars.  I  determined 
not  to  comply;  but  General  Clark,  who  exercised  a  superintend 
ence  of  our  movements,  in  view  of  all  things,  thinking  it  prudent 
to  gratify  them,  and  having  relieved  me  from  the  responsibility, 
I  furnished  the  money.  This  circumstance  placed  me  in  such 
a  situation  as  I  desired.  I  had  discovered  that  our  expedition 
would  be  very  expensive ;  and  about  this  time  I  contrived  that, 
while  the  gentlemen  of  our  party  would  be  required  to  account 


850  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

to  me  for  all  the  money  they  expended,  I  would  not  he  hound 
to  control  them  in  relation  either  to  the  article  or  the  price.  I 
would  report  the  accounts  to  the  Government,  and,  if  the  ac 
counts  of  either  should  be  disallowed,  the  matter  would  lie 
between  them  and  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs.  By  this 
course  I  got  on  smoothly  with  the  company,  and  afterwards  I 
had  no  difficulty  in  settling  with  the  Government ;  I  reported 
all  their  accounts  as  each  reported  to  rne ;  but  some  of  them 
were,  on  final  settlement,  greatly  curtailed,  and  not  a  little  to  the 
dissatisfaction  of  the  respective  persons  interested. 

In  relation  to  the  Putavvatomies  and  Ottawas,  the  whole  mat 
ter,  from  first  to  last,  was  pretty  much  under  my  own  manage 
ment.  Their  exploration,  which,  in  regard  to  distance  and  time, 
but  not  in  numbers,  had  about  equalled  that  of  the  southern 
delegations,  had  been  made  with  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars ; 
whereas  the  whole  cost  of  this  undertaking,  including  the  above, 
was  about  twenty-two  thousand  dollars ! 

The  last  of  our  company  left  St.  Louis  on  the  22d  of  Octo 
ber.  Captain  Kennerly  and  myself  travelled  across  the  State 
of  Missouri  in  a  small  dearborn  wagon ;  we  were  in  the  rear 
of  the  company  on  the  24th,  when  we  found  Harper  Lovett, 
one  of  the  Creek  delegation,  in  a  cabin,  sick  of  the  measles. 
He  had  contracted  the  disease  in  St.  Louis,  and  I  had  in  vain 
endeavoured  to  dissuade  him  from  accompanying  us.  Becoming 
unable  to  travel,  he  had  been  left  by  his  company  on  the  pre 
ceding  day ;  Dr.  Todson  had  halted  with  him  a  little  before  we 
came  up.  He  was  not  well  situated,  and  we  took  him  in  our 
carriage  seven  miles  further,  to  Mr.  Van  Bibber's,  where  we 
left  him,  after  making  the  necessary  arrangements  for  his  com 
fort  and  for  medical  assistances  The  poor  man  died  the  fourth 
or  fifth  day  after. 

The  views  of  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  had  not,  at 
that  time,  become  definitely  fixed  on  the  country  west  of  the 
State  of  Missouri  and  the  Territory  of  Arkansas,  as  the  future 
home  of  the  Indians ;  we  had,  therefore,  been  instructed  to  ex 
plore  the  country  north  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  as  well  as 
west,  unless  the  desire  of  the  Indians  should  indicate  a  different 
course.  I  was  much  averse  to  going  north  of  the  State  of  Mis 
souri,  because  it  was  evident  that  there  the  Indians  would  not  be 
allowed  quietly  to  remain;  and  our  object  was,  or  ought  to  have 
been,  to  find  a  permanent  resting  place  for  these  homeless  tribes. 
The  Indians,  however,  readily  declined  extending  their  tour 
northward;  they  had  entered  upon  the  tour  reluctantly,  and 
dreaded  to  do  any  thing  that  looked  like  consenting  to  leavs 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


351 


their  original  residences  in  the  South.  From  St.  Louis  they 
would  probably  have  turned  back,  had  it  not  been  for  great 
liberality  on  the  part  of  the  Government,  through  General  Clark. 
Before  we  reached  the  western  line  of  the  State  of  Missouri, 
three  hundred  miles  from  St.  Louis,  the  Choctaw  delegation 
manifested  a  strong  inclination  not  to  make  the  tour  of  observa 
tion,  but  to  proceed,  by  the  nearest  route,  to  the  residence  of  a 
few  of  their  people  on  Red  river.  Had  these  left  us,  the  others 
would  probably  have  followed.  They  were,  however,  prevailed 
on  to  go  forward,  under  a  promise  that  our  tour  should  not  be 
extended  as  far  west  as  had  at  first  been  contemplated. 

I  afterwards  contrived,  while  Captain  Kennerly  went  forward 
with  the  main  body  on  horseback,  to  travel  in  the  rear,  and  pre 
vailed  upon  some  of  the  more  influential  Indians  to  remain  in 
my  company.  Among  these  was  Colonel  Levi  Colbert,  princi 
pal  in  the  Chickasaw  delegation,  and  a  reasonable  and  worthy 
man,  whom  I  took  into  the  carriage  with  me,  and  encouraged  to 
persevere  in  making  the  tour.  I  also  embraced  suitable  oppor 
tunities  to  stimulate  others. 

November  the  3d.  Our  whole  company  encamped  on  the 
western  line  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  at  the  point  at  which  I 
had  returned  to  the  State  on  the  former  tour.  Winter  was  near, 
and  I  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  be  moving,  because  it  was 
evident  that,  unless  we  should  improve  our  time,  we  would  see 
little  of  the  country.  The  latter,  however,  was  a  consideration 
which  occasioned  no  uneasiness  to  our  company.  We  had  con 
sumed  an  unnecessary  length  of  time  in  getting  thus  far,  and, 
with  all  my  efforts,  it  was  the  9th  of  November  before  we  left 
our  encampment  on  the  State  line.  At  this  place,  the  Shawa- 
noes,  as  they  had  done  with  the  Putawatomies  and  Otjawas  as 
they  passed,  reciprocated  friendly  visits  with  our  delegations, 
much  to  the  satisfaction  of  both  parties.  Our  company  had 
increased  to  forty-two  persons,  among  whom  was  Mograin,  who 
had  figured  so  strangely  on  the  former  expedition.  We  had 
with  us  about  sixty  horses. 

While  we  lay  here,  Major  John  Dougherty,  United  States' 
Indian  agent  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  communicated  to  us  inform 
ation  that  it  was  reported  that  fifteen  hundred  Pawnees  had 
gone  on  a  war  expedition,  intending  to  watch  the  Santa  Fe 
road,  and,  if  unsuccessful,  to  proceed  further  southeast.  He 
warned  us  to  be  on  our  guard ;  and  should  we  fall  in  with  Paw 
nees,  though  apparently  friendly,  not  to  permit  them  to  mingle 
with  us  in  camp,  or  at  any  other  time,  lest  they  should  take 
advantage  of  an  unguarded  moment,  and  injure  us.  About  the 


352 


HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 


time  that  1  had  returned  from  the  wilderness  with  the  Puta- 
watomies  and  Ottawas,  fragments  of  a  party  of  traders  were 
coming  into  the  settlements  of  Missouri,  having  suffered  much 
by  the  Pawnees  and  Camanches.  They  had  been  several  times 
attacked,  and  had  lost  several  men  ;  they  had  also  been  robbed 
of  a  great  many  mules,  and  of  other  articles,  so  that  many  of 
the  company  nearly  perished  with  hunger  and  fatigue,  before 
they  reached  the  white  settlements.  In  one  or  two  instances, 
pretty  large  sums  of  silver  were  the  last  articles  abandoned,  and 
some  thousands  of  dollars  were  hid  in  the  earth,  which  were 
afterwards  recovered  by  the  owners.  From  information,  it  ap 
peared  that  the  last  assault  on  the  party  was  at  the  time  that  I 
was  farthest  west  with  the  Putawatomies  and  Ottawas,  and  about 
two  days'  journey  from  us. 

We  had  proceeded  about  five  miles,  when,  riding  briskly  over 
the  prairie  to  prevent  a  pack  horse  from  escaping,  my  horse  fell 
with  me,  and  rolled  on  to  my  foot  and  leg.  I  was  a  good  deal 
injured  on  the  side  that  had  been  dashed  on  the  earth,  but  was 
able  after  a  while  to  resume  my  journey,  though  I  suffered 
much  pain  for  several  days.  At  camp,  the  doctor  bled  me 
pretty  freely.  The  injury  received  by  this  fall  has  occasioned 
more  or  less  pain,  in  unfavourable  weather,  ever  since.  Three 
sentinels  at  a  time,  with  an  officer,  were  on  guard  during  every 
night.  I  offered  to  perform  an  equal  part  of  this  duty,  but  the 
company  exonerated  Captain  Kennerly  and  myself. 

November  the  llth,  we  encamped  on  the  Osage  river.  On 
stopping,  I  took  a  white  man,  and  travelled  up  the  river  about 
five  miles,  to  see  if  I  could  recognise  any  place  that  I  had  pass 
ed  in  going  up  the  river  with  my  company  the  preceding  Sep 
tember,  by  which  I  might  learn  how  far  we  were  from  the 
western  boundary  of  the  State  of  Missouri.  In  this  I  was  not 
fully  successful.  As  I  have  never  been  esteemed  an  expert 
hunter,  I  may  be  allowed  to  indulge  vanity  enough  in  this 
place  to  say>  that  on  this  excursion  I  killed  two  turkeys  at  one 
shoot.  The  man  with  me  killed  an  opossum.  We  discovered 
signs  by  which  we  inferred  that  we  were  near  an  encampment 
of  Indians. 

Some  time  before  we  left  St.  Louis,  one  Papin  had  been  sent 
to  the  Osage  villages,  a  little  over  three  hundred  miles,  in  order 
to  get  Mograin  to  accompany  us  as  interpreter.  Mograin,  with 
another  man,  afterwards  joined  our  company  at  the  Shawanoe  set 
tlements.  At  our  encampment  on  the  Osage  river,  Papin,  and  a 
man  whom  he  had  hired  to  accompany  him  overtook  us.  Papin 
was  well  known  in  some  parts  of  the  United  States  as  a  propri- 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


853 


etor  of  circusses;  but  whatever  had  been  his  dexterity  in  horse 
manship,  he  had  not  learned  to  be  a  good  rider  in  the  wilderness. 
When  mounted  on  the  baggage  which,  after  he  Joined  us  he  was 
required  to  carry,  it  was  remarked  by  all,  that  his  appearance 
was  extremely  awkward,  and  he  felt  not  a  little  inconvenience. 
The  story  of  his  misfortunes,  out  of  which  grew  his  failure  to 
accomplish  his  mission  in  obtaining  an  interpreter,  is  briefly  as 
follows:  About  ten  miles  before  he  reached  Harmony  mission, 
to  which  he  was  wending  his  way,  his  horse  by  some  means 
escaped  from  him.  He  knew  not  how  far  it  was  before  him  to 
the  habitation  of  man,  but  he  very  properly  set  off  on  foot  to 
find  a  friend,  and  very  prudently  pursued  the  road.  But  not 
finding  a  house  before  his  courage  and  hopes  failed,  he  turned 
to  retrace  his  steps,  which  he  did  until  he  despaired  of  enduring 
a  journey  in  that  direction  that  would  reach  a  habitation ;  he 
again  turned  around,  to  make  further  trial  of  the  other  end  of  the 
road,  and  whether  the  habit  of  riding  in  a  circus  had  affected 
his  brain  or  not,  such  was  the  fact  that  he  was  afterwards  found  on 
the  same  ground,  by  some  travellers,  where  he  had  walked  first 
in  one  direction  and  then  in  the  other  until  he  was  alrndst  per 
ished  with  hunger.  He  was  taken  to  Harmony  mission,  where 
with  better  living  he  soon  recovered  strength  to  sit  upon  a  horse, 
which  he  purchased  at  the  cost  of  the  United  States  ;  and,  rightly 
judging  that  two  heads  in  his  journeyings  would  be  better  than 
one,  hired  a  skilful  woodsman  and  found  our  camp. 

Soon  after  we  left  camp  on  the  13th  of  November,  1  took 
five  men  and  turned  off  from  the  main  body  to  examine  a  creek, 
the  timber  of  which  we  discovered  across  the  prairie  at  a  con 
siderable  distance.  Soon  after  this,  the  company  fell  in  with  a 
Kauzau,  and  from  his  statement,  as  they  said,  were  induced  to 
change  their  course,  and  bear  in  nearer  to  the  State  of  Missouri. 
I  overtook  them  at  three  o'clock,  P.  M.,  encamped,  and  was 
not  a  little  grieved  to  find  the  company  resolved  to  go  south, 
parallel  with  and  but  a  few  miles  from  the  western  boundary  of 
the  State  of  Missouri. 

In  the  evening,  fifteen  Kauzaus  visited  our  camp,  and  had 
some  speech  making  between  them  and  our  Indians.  Some  of 
the  gentlemen  of  our  party,  with  a  good  deal  of  formality,  made 
many  inquiries  of  them  through  Mograin,  as  interpreter,  respect 
ing  the  country,  distances,  &c.,  and  received  ready  answers, 
almost  all  of  which  I  discovered  were  erroneous.  We  were  on 
a  creek,  by  ascending  which  we  should  be  going  almost  south, 
and  still  keeping  near  the  line  of  the  State.  They  said  that 
this  was  the  principal  branch  of  the  Osage  river — a  statement 
45 


854 


II  1ST  Oil  Y    OF    BAPTIST 


which  I  knew  to  be  incorrect,  but  one  which  the  company 
seemed  willing  to  admit,  as  it  favoured  their  views  of  the  course 
to  be  taken. 

At  the  villages  and  encampments  of  Osages  and  Kauzaus, 
we  often  find  a  kind  of  public  crier,  who  proclaims  the  arrival 
or  presence  of  a  person  whom  they  choose  to  notice,  the  news 
which  has  come  to  hand,  &c.  In  the  present  company  of  Kau 
zaus,  one  of  these  criers  afforded  great  amusement  to  our  people 
by  proclaiming  the  name  of  Chickasaws,  perhaps  twenty  times 
in  succession,  as  loud  as  his  stentorian  lungs  could  roar.  Then 
the  Choctavvs  and  Miscogees,  (Creeks,)  and  individuals  respect 
ively,  would  give  him  their  names,  for  the  sake  of  hearing  him 
bawl  aloud  again  until  he  was  wearied. 

About  twelve  o'clock  on  the  14th  of  November,  as  we  were 
marching,  a  desperate  screaming  was  suddenly  commenced  in 
the  forest  near  us.  It  began  immediately  after  the  report  of 
one  of  our  people's  guns,  and  the  first  thought  with  rne  was 
that  it  was  the  noise  of  a  bear,  which  some  of  the  company 
might  have  attacked  ;  but  it  was  almost  instantly  perceived 
to  be  the  voice  of  a  Kauzau  woman,  who  had  been  left  alone 
at  a  hunting  camp,  and  had  been  alarmed  at  the  sight  of  our 
company,  supposing  we  might  be  a  party  of  enemies.  Mograin 
was  immediately  required  to  halloo  to  her,  and  approach  her 
as  fast  as  possible,  to  quiet  her  fears.  About  an  hour  after,  we 
were  overtaken  by  a  man  in  a  profuse  perspiration,  who  had  fol 
lowed  us  on  foot,  out  of  curiosity,  as  he  appeared  to  have  no 
business.  His  fatigue  was  rewarded  by  some  tobacco.  Before 
we  left  camp  on  the  15th  of  November,  several  men,  women, 
and  children,  of  the  Kauzaus,  visited  us. 

While  with  the  Putawatomies  and  Ottawas,  I  had  entire 
control  of  the  company,  and  from  the  time  I  started  from  Carey, 
until  we  separated,  we  rested  on  Sundays ;  and  on  the  morn 
ing  and  evening  of  that  day,  the  company  united  in  religious 
services  in  our  camp.  These  exercises  were  performed  in  the 
Indian  language  ;  written  discourses  and  prayers  were  read,  and 
hymns  sung  in  tunes  common  to  us.  Our  present  company  was 
large,  and  formed  under  circumstances  that  compelled  me  to  yield 
to  the  general  wish  in  regard  to  travelling  on  the  Sabbath.  Usu 
ally,  the  traveller,  even  in  the  wilderness,  may  so  husband  his 
time,  that  little,  if  any  thing,  is  lost  by  observing  the  Sabbath. 
But  a  company  of  forty  men,  anxious  to  get  out  of  the  wilder 
ness,  few  of  whom  have  any  religious  regard  for  the  Sabbath, 
cannot  be  persuaded  to  observe  this  economy  of  time,  or  to  rest 
for  conscience  sake.  The  company,  however,  had  the  polite- 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


355 


ness,  on  Sabbath  mornings,  to  invite  me  to  perform  religious 
service  before  they  set  out.  I  usually  made  a  short  religious 
address  and  prayer,  to  which  every  decent  attention  was  given. 

Two  or  three  of  the  members  of  the  southern  delegation 
were  professors  of  Christianity,  and  a  much  greater  number 
were  intelligent  and  sensible  men.  Among  the  latter  was  Peter 
P.  Pytchlynn,  a  Choctaw  ;  though  not  a  professor  of  religion, 
he  frequently  borrowed  my  small  bible  to  read,  which  I  after 
wards  presented  to  him.  I  had  much  interesting  conversation 
with  him.  At  one  time  he  inquired  how  it  happened  that  Christ 
ians  differed  so  much  in  opinion,  when  each  sect  appealed  to  the 
Scriptures  for  proof  of  its  doctrines.  I  endeavoured  to  account 
for  it  satisfactorily  to  him,  by  the  proneness  of  man  to  err.  The 
Scriptures  are  plain,  and  are  an  unerring  rule  of  moral  obliga 
tions  and  duty,  both  towards  God  and  man ;  but  man  is  averse 
to  that  which  is  right,  and  under  the  influence  of  this  aversion, 
because  truth  is  uncongenial  with  his  evil  disposition,  he  mis 
takes  error  for  truth,  but  not  necessarily. 

On  the  17th,  we  reached  the  Osage  agency  ;  gave  notice  of 
our  arrival  to  the  Osages,  and  desired  them  to  meet  us  in  council. 
On  the  20th,  we  pitched  our  tents  near  the  village  of  the  Chief 
called  White  Hair.  A  large  long  fire  of  logs  was  made,  at 
which  our  company  was  joined  in  council  by  about  twenty 
Osage  chiefs,  and  principal  men.  The  usual  ceremonies  of 
shaking  hands,  smoking,  and  speech  making,  were  entered 
upon,  and  continued  until  night,  when  all  parties  agreeing  that 
peace  speeches  ought  not  to  be  made  in  the  dark,  we  adjourned 
till  the  following  day. 

That  night  the  coldness  of  the  weather  increased  to  severity. 
Our  encampment  was  in  a  narrow  streak  of  timber,  with  many 
miles  of  woodless  plain  on  both  sides.  The  wind  was  high, 
with  snow  falling,  and  our  situation  became  very  uncomfortable. 
The  weather  was  so  severe  on  the  following  day,  that  it  was 
late  before  the  council  convened.  In  the  mean  time,  we  were 
invited  to  a  feast  of  boiled  buffalo  meat,  in  the  house  of  the 
chief  Belle  Ouizo.  In  the  absence  of  chairs,  we  all  became 
seated  on  the  floor,  when  bowls  of  boiled  meat  were  placed 
before  us,  and  each  used  his  own  knife  and  his  own  finders. 
Immediately  on  the  completion  of  this,  we  were  taken  to  the 
house  of  the  chief,  White  Hair,  to  partake  of  similar  hospitality, 
the  eatables  being  the  same  in  kind  and  cookery. 

This  buffalo  meat  is  procured  on  what  are  termed  their  buf 
falo  hunts,  two  of  which  occur  in  the  summer  season  of  the 
year,  and  are  attended  by  th«  people  generally;  men,  women. 


356 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


and  children,  move  oft*  in  a  large  body,  like  an  army,  leaving 
none  behind  excepting  invalids.  They  march  in  pretty  good 
order,  generally  in  three  lines.  They  keep  spies  ahead,  to  look 
out  for  enemies  ;  and  they  usually  encamp  on  an  eminence  in 
the  open  prairies,  far  from  timber,  so  that  the  approach  of  an 
enemy  may  be  the  more  easily  discovered.  The  horses  are 
kept  close  about  the  encampment,  and  at  night  a  stake  is  driven 
into  the  earth,  and  the  horse,  by  a  long  rope  made  of  a  buffalo 
skin,  is  tied  to  the  stake,  with  latitude  to  feed  around  in  a  radius 
of  several  yards.  I  have  noticed  that,  in  some  of  their  remote 
encampments,  a  little  excavation  had  been  made  in  the  earth, 
for  each  fire.  This,  I  suppose,  was  for  the  double  purpose  of 
diminishing  the  inconvenient  effects  of  the  wind  on  the  fire,  in 
the  process  of  cooking,  and  of  concealing  the  light  of  the  fire 
from  a  prowling  foe. 

On  these  excursions  they  have  portable  tents,  of  the  skins  of 
elk  and  buffalo.  These  tents  are  easily  put  up  for  use  by  being 
thrown  around  stakes  placed  in  the  earth,  so  as  to  form  a  circle, 
with  their  tops  brought  nearly  or  quite  in  contact  with  each  other. 
Their  smoked  and  black  exteriors  give  the  settlement  of  these 
fragile  houses  a  gloomy  appearance,  which,  however,  is  usually 
overlooked  by  the  observer,  on  account  of  the  extreme  wretch 
edness  of  the  inmates.  In  travelling  in  these  vast  plains,  groves 
of  wood  are  avoided  as  much  as  possible,  for  fear  of  a  lurking 
enemy.  The  poles,  therefore,  necessary  for  the  Construction  of 
their  tents  are  transported  from  place  to  place  with  the  rest  of 
their  baggage.  The  method  of  transportation  is  to  tie  one  end 
of  the  poles  to  a  horse's  load,  some  on  each  side,  while  the 
other  end  is  allowed  to  trail  on  the  ground. 

The  vanguard  of  the  host,  en  discovering  a  herd  of  buffalo, 
which  often  consists  of  some  hundreds,  give  notice,  and  a  halt  is 
ordered.  The  hunters  then  devise  the  plan  of.attack,  and,  each 
mounted  with  a  bow  and  a  quiver  of  arrows,  and  sometimes  with 
a  gun  having  the  barrel  shortened  to  about  one-half  the  usual 
length,  proceed  with  a  good  degree  of  order,  and  approach  their 
game  as  near  as  possible  without  alarming  them.  The  moment 
the  animals  become  affrighted,  and  attempt  to  escape,  the  hunters, 
many  of  whose  horses  are  well  trained  to  these  races,  pursue  at  full 
speed.  The  horse,  swifter  on  foot  than  the  buffalo,  brings  the 
hunter  alongside,  who  discharges  an  arrow  into  a  vital  part,  and 
repeats  it  until  the  animal  either  falls  or  is  so  disabled  that  others 
on  horses  less  fleet  can  overtake  him,  when  he  dashes  forward 
to  attack  another  of  the  herd.  The  women  follow,  and  flay  the 
animals;  after  which,  the  flesli  is  carefully  taken  oft' in  unbroken 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


357 


fleeces,  as  large  as  practicable,  and  thin,  so  that  it  resembles  a 
bed  cover.  This  kind  of  flesh-fleecing  is  repeated  until  pre 
vented  by  the  bones.  The  latter,  with  the  flesh  adhering,  are 
applied  to  immediate  use,  and  the  former,  without  salt,  are  dried 
in  the  open  air.  When  thoroughly  dried,  it  is  rolled  up  like  a 
blanket,  or  a  travelling  horseman's  cloak,  and  packed  on  a  horse. 
This  is  brought  home  and  preserved  for  future  use.  It  becomes 
exceedingly  hard,  being,  when  dry,  seldom  more  than  the  fourth 
of  an  inch  in  thickness.  Confined  to  this  food  alone,  a  man 
with  a  good  appetite,  whose  jaws  have  not  acquired  strength  by 
habit,  and  with  imperfect  teeth,  will  have  to  use  some  industry 
to  masticate  enough  through  the  day  to  answer  the  demands  of 
nature. 

It  may  easily  be  supposed  that  among  a  people  who  seldom 
or  never  apply  water  to  either  hands,  or  face,  or  clothes,  for  the 
purposes  of  cleanliness,  these  blankets  of  buffalo  beef  are  liable 
to  some  objection.  When  the  meat  has  been  taken  from  a  lean 
animal,  or  when  a  desire  for  improved  cooking  predominates, 
some  tallow,  taken  from  the  same  animal,  is  introduced  into  the 
mess.  This  is  commonly  rancid,  and  indicates  more  careless 
ness  in  the  dressing  than  the  meat,  and  to  the  olfactories  of  a 
novice  in  buffalo  meat  eating,  is  far  from  pleasant.  Our  Osage 
feast  was  evidently  liable  to  these  objections  in  a  high  degree. 
Nevertheless,  a  suitable  respect  for  the  people  who  had  invited 
us  forbid  the  indulgence  of  our  scruples. 

On  account  of  the  severity  of  the  weather,  our  council  was 
completed  in  the  house  of  the  chief,  White  Hair.  The  result 
was  a  reciprocity  of  good  feelings  and  fair  speeches.  In  con 
firmation  of  friendship,  the  southern  Indians  offered,  and  the 
Osages  accepted,  strings  of  while  porcelain  beads,  tied  to  a 
piece  of  tobacco.  This  is  termed,  "  making  a  white  road 
between  the  parties,  which  is  to  be  kept  clean." 

The  Osages  had  some  scalps  among  them,  taken  from  an 
enemy.  A  scalp  is  taken  from  the  crown  of  the  head,  and 
stretched  within  a  remind  hoop  of  wood  ;  the  hair  remains  on  it, 
and  the  fleshy  side  is  rubbed,  so  as  to  appear  like  buff  leather, 
and  it  is  usually  reddened  on  the  flesh  side  with  vermilion. 

Through  the  advice  of  Mr.  Haley,  which  turned  out  to  be 
rather  *  unseasonable,  the  Choctaws  intimated  a  desire  to  obtain 
one  of  these  dressed  scalps,  to  carry  with  them,  as  a  matter  of 
curiosity.  With  some  ceremony,  an  Osage  warrior  came  for 
ward  in  council,  and  presented  the  principal  Choctaw  chief, 
with  the  scalp  of  a  Pawnee.  The  acceptance  was  followed  by 
a  brief  speech  in  behalf  of  the  Osage  nation,  in  which  the  orator 


358 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


argued  that,  as  the  Choctaws  had  accepted  of  a  scalp  at  the 
hands  of  the  former,  which  they  had  taken  from  an  enemy,  the 
Choctaws,  as  a  nation,  were  bound  by  the  customs  of  Indians 
to  espouse  their  interests,  and  that  the  Osages  would  hence 
forward  understand  that  the  Choctaws,  about  to  become  their 
neighbours,  would  also  become  their  allies  in  war.  This  turn 
of  the  affair  was  as  unwelcome  as  it  was  unexpected  to  the 
Choctaws,  who  made'  no  reply.  Our  Indians  requested  the 
Osages  to  exhibit  specimens  of  some  of  their  dances,  which  was 
done,  somewhat  to  the  amusement  of  such  as  delighted  in 
foolery. 

The  trading  interest,  with  the  Osage  nation,  had  always  been 
in  the  hands  of  a  few.  These  had  given  out  to  the  world  that 
they  were  an  uncommonly  fierce,  courageous,  warlike  nation  of 
Indians.  On  going  among  them,  I  was  exceedingly  astonished  to 
discover  the  most  striking  evidence  of  precisely  the  contrary 
character.  I  had  never  before  seen  Indians  so  obedient  to  their 
chiefs  and  principal  men,  so  subservient  to  traders,  and  so  easily 
managed  by  the  United  States'  Indian  agent. 

In  speech  making,  they  exhibited  more  native  eloquence, 
and  acquitted  themselves  with  much  more  credit,  than  our  civ 
ilized  and  half  civilized  Indians.  Ours  had  lost  too  much  of 
native  Indian  character  to  appear  to  good  advantage  in  an  In 
dian  council  proper.  White  men,  unaccustomed  to  Indian 
councils,  in  which  it  is  necessary  to  observe  Indian  forms,  usu 
ally  appear  awkward  ;  and  the  same  remark  will  apply  to  all 
cases  that  I  have  witnessed,  between  Indians  who  have  been 
raised  near  the  whites,  when  in  council  with  others  in  their 
native  condition. 

In  most  of  our  treaties  with  the  Osages,  they  have  been 
represented  as  composed  of  two  distinct  bands,  called  "  Great" 
and  "  Little"  Osages.  No  such  distinction,  in  reality,  exists,  or 
ever  did  exist.  The  supposition  originated  in  the  ignorance 
and  awkwardness  of  traders  among  them.  They  at  that  time 
lived  on  the  Missouri  river,  in  two  settlements,  one  of  which 
acquired  the  name,  among  themselves,  of  the  Upper  settlement, 
and  Upper  people ;  and  the  other,  of  the  Lower  settlement,  and 
the  Lower  people ;  each  settlement  having  its  chiefs  and  prin 
cipal  men,  as  is  common  among  all  Indians.  The  whites,  igno 
rant  of  these  circumstances,  and  with  an  imperfect  knowledge 
of  the  Osage  language,  fancied  that  the  one  was  called  the  tail 
people,  and  the  other  the  short  or  small ;  and  a  story  was  even 
propagated  that,  by  an  arrangement  among  themselves,  they 
had  divided,  by  placing  all  the  taller  men  in  one  class,  and  all 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


359 


the  shorter  in  another,  and  hence  originated  the  name  of  the 
Great  Osages  and 'the  Little  Osages.  These  settlements  re 
moved  from  Missouri  long  since,  but  naturally  formed  different 
settlements,  elsewhere,  a  few  miles  apart.  By  us  they  still 
retain  the  appellatives  of  Great  and  Little  ;  their  name  by  them 
selves  is  pronounced  Wos-sosh-e,  which  has  been  corrupted  to 
Osage. 

From  time  immemorial,  the  Osages,  like  the  Kauzaus,  have 
been  at  war  with  the  Pawnees  and  other  remote  tribes.  Several 
skirmishes  had  occurred  the  summer  preceding  our  visit,  and  a 
party  of  Osages  which  had  lately  returned,  said  they  had  seen 
signs  of  a  Pawnee  war  party  on  the  upper  branches  of  the 
Neosho — the  waters  on  which  I  and  our  Putawatomie  and 
Ottawa  delegations  had  spent  five  days  the  September  prece 
ding.  The  Osages  had  lost  a  considerable  number  of  horses, 
the  enemy  sometimes  approaching  near  to  their  villages.  In 
return,  they  had  taken  horses  and  scalps  in  considerable  num 
bers.  I  saw  a  captive  Pawnee  woman  and  boy,  lately  taken, 
who  were  at  this  time  in  the  capacity  of  slaves. 

It  had  been  reported  that  the  Osages  did  not  believe  in  the 
existence  of  the  Great  Spirit.  I  was  astonished  that  any  one 
who  had  ever  been  two  days  among  them,  or  the  Kauzaus,  who 
are  in  all  respects  similar,  should  be  so  deceived.  I  had 
never  before  seen  Indians  who  gave  more  undoubted  evidence 
of  their  belief  in  God.  In  their  speeches  they  make  the  refer 
ences  and  appeals  to  the  Great  Spirit,  common  to  all  Indians 
on  such  occasions  ;  and  a  devotional  exercise  is  observed  among 
them,  which  I  have  never  heard  existed  among  any  others.  At 
the  opening  of  day,  the  devotee  retires  a  little  from  his  camp 
or  company,  and  utters  a  prayer  aloud.  This  may  or  may 
not  have  some  allusion  to  a  deceased  relative  or  friend.  The 
voice  is  usually  elevated  so  as  to  be  heard  sometimes  half  a 
mile,  and  their  words  are  uttered  in  a  kind  of  plaintive,  piteous 
tone,  accompanied  with  weeping,  either  affected  or  real,  I  sup 
pose  commonly  the  former.  To  English  ears,  the  sound  is  un 
couth,  and  we  would  denominate  it  a  kind  of  howling.  Their 
word  for  God  is,  W6h-kon'-da,  (Father  of  Life.)  Their  prayer 
runs  in  some  such  words  as  the  following:  "  Woh-kon'-da,  pity 
me ;  I  am  very  poor ;  give  me  what  I  need ;  give  me  success 
against  mine  enemies,  that  I  may  avenge  the  death  of  my 
friends.  May  I  be  able  to  take  scalps,  and  to  take  horses," 
&tc.  These  services  are  performed  by  the  women,  also,  with 
language  appropriate.  Some  omit  them  ;  but  a  large  portion 


360 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


of  the  middle  aged  and  older  are  punctual  in  their  observance 
every  morning,  and  with  less  punctuality  in  the  evening  also. 

I  discovered  that  they  frequently  deposited  their  dead  on  or 
near  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  raised  over  the  corpse  a  heap 
of  stones.  In  this  heap,  I  saw  in  a  few  places  a  pole  planted, 
to  the  top  of  which  was  suspended  a  scalp  of  an  enemy.  Their 
notion  was,  that  by  taking  an  enemy,  and  suspending  his  scalp 
over  the  grave  of  a  deceased  friend,  the  spirit  of  the  former  be 
came  subjected  as  a  slave  to  the  spirit  of  the  latter,  in  the  world 
of  spirits.  Hence,  the  last  and  best  service  that  can  be  per 
formed  for  a  deceased  relative  is  to  take  the  life  of  an  enemy, 
and  apply  his  scalp  as  above.  This  sentiment,  it  is  believed, 
is  among  their  strongest  inducements  to  take  human  life.  What 
a  happy  change  upon  these  people,  in  this  respect,  a  knowledge 
of  the  gospel  would  effect ! 

At  the  time  of  which  I  am  writing,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pixley,  a 
Presbyterian  missionary,  with  his  wife  and  several  children, 
resided  among  the  Osages.  He  was  a  worthy  man,  and  desired 
much  to  impart  spiritual  benefits  to  that  poor  people.  But  he 
accomplished  little,  if  any  thing,  of  this  nature  during  his 
labours  there.  His  impatience  amidst  what  he  esteemed  wrong 
in  those  about  him  sometimes  induced  him  to  administer  re 
proof  in  a  manner  to  subject  him  to  unnecessary  inconvenience. 
He  and  the  .United  States'  Indian  agent,  Major  Hamtramck, 
at  the  same  place,  were  widely  at  variance.  Both  appealed  to 
the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  at  Washington,  with  which 
Mr.  Pixley's  story  evidently  had  greatly  the  advantage  of  the 
other.  Nevertheless,  the  obstacles  to  Mr.  Pixley's  usefulness 
so  accumulated,  that  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions  desired  him  to  retire.  The  United  States' 
agent  continued  in  office  but  a  short  time. 

From  the  first  dawning  of  the  scheme  for  colonizing  the  In 
dians  in  the  West,  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions,  (Pedobaptist,)  than  which  no  missionary  soci 
ety  in  the  United  States  was  more  respectable  or  influential,  had 
strenuously  opposed  it.  I  was  sorry  to  find  that  Mr.  Pixley, 
though  labouring  in  the  country  in  which  it  was  proposed  to 
give  these  poor  "  scattered  and  peeled  people"  a  permanent 
home,  was  averse  to  the  plan — his  feelings  beating  in  unison 
with  those  of  the  society  which  he  served. 

Among  some  of  the  uncultivated  tribes  to  the  north,  there  are 
instances,  though  rare,  of  men  assuming  the  office  of  women. 
They  put  on  women's  apparel,  and  mingle  with  them,  and  affect 


1NDIAV     MISSIONS. 


the  manner  and  appearance  of  females  as  much  as  possible,  and 
continue  this  folly  during  life.  While  I  was  at  the  Osage 
villages,  one  of  these  wretches  was  pointed  out  to  me.  He 
appeared  to  be  about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  was  tall,  lean, 
and  of  a  ghost-like  appearance.  His  presence  was  so  disgust 
ing,  and  the  circumstances  of  the  case  so  unpleasant,  that  I 
spoke  not  a  word  to  him,  and  made  few  inquiries  about  him. 
He  was  said  to  be  in  a  declining  state  of  health,  and  certainly 
his  death  would  not  have  been  lamented. 

We  left  the  Osa»e  villages  on  the  22d  of  November,  1828, 
accompanied  by  Belle  Ouizo,  a  distinguished  chief.  After 
supper,  at  camp,  he  said  he  desired  to  relate  a  story,  which  he 
had  once  told  to  an  officer  of  the  Government,  who  did  not 
believe  it.  "  I  should  like  to  know,"  said  he,  "  if  you  will 
believe  it." 

"  Some, years  ago  a  company  of  Osages,  then  resident  on  the 
Osage  river,  made  a  visit  to  St.  Genevieve,  on  the  Mississippi. 
One  of  the  company  was  a  young  man,  in  love  with  a  young  wo 
man  whom  he  had  left  behind  at  his  village.  In  his  absence,  the 
girl  sickened  and  died,  and  was  buried.  The  burial  took  place 
just  as  the  people  of  the  village  were  leaving  it,  with  the  view  of 
establishing  settlements  on  the  Neosho,  [on  which  river  they 
now  chiefly  reside.]  The  young  man  returned  to  the  .village 
four  days  after  the  inhabitants  had  left  it,  where  he  found  the 
young  woman  alive  and  alone,  and  in  health.  Not  having  heard 
of  her  illness  or  death,  he  was  not  surprised  at  seeing  her.  He 
inquired,  '  WThy  are  you  here  alone?'  she  replied,  '  Our  people 
have  all  removed,  and  I  remained  behind  to  await  your  return.' 
Taking  up  their  little  property  which  they  desired  to  transport,  a 
bundle  being  assigned  to  the  girl,  they  immediately  set  out  to 
overtake  their  people.  They  came  up  .with  them  at  a  creek 
about  one  day's  journey  below  our  present  encampment,  [about 
one  hundred  and  forty  miles  from  their  former  villages,  from 
which  they  had  started.]  Their  people  were  scattered  through 
the  bottom  lands,  in  the  act  of  pitching  their  tents.  He  directed 
the  girl  to  remain  on  the  bank  of  the  creek  with  her  bundle  that 
she  had  carried,  while  he  would  ascertain  where  their  family 
were  halted ;  and  he  would  then  return  for  her,  that  they  might 
all  encamp  together.  He  found  the  camp  of  their  friends,  and, 
instead  of  returning  himself,  sent  one  to  bring  up  the  woman 
with  her  bundle,  whom  he  had  left  in  a  place  which  he  pointed 
out.  In  the  hurry  of  the  occasion,  none  had  inquired  what 
woman  it  was,  nor  had  he  informed  them.  The  messenger 
found  the  bundle,  but  not  the  woman.  Returning  with  this  in- 

46 


862 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


formation,  inquiry  was  made  of  him  who  she  was  whom  he  had 
left  there,  and  on  hearing  his  answer  he  was  informed  that  that 
young  woman  died  and  was  buried  before  the  party  left  the 
village.  On  hearing  this,  the  young  man  instantly  expired." 

To  this  story  I  replied,  that  some  white  people  supposed  that 
spirits  could  occasionally  be  seen.  Most  of  them  did  not 
believe  it.  I  had  never  seen  one.  I  then  related  two  short 
spirit  stories,  which  had  originated  with  people  of  my  acquaint 
ance,  which  I  told  in  such  a  way  as  to  satisfy  him  that  I  ascribed 
all  such  stories  to  deception  or  superstition.  This,  by  the  In 
dian,  I  knew  would  be  esteemed  a  respectful  method  of  telling 
him  that  I  did  not  believe  his  narrative. 

He  said  he  knew  many  other  short  stories  which  he  would 
like  to  relate,  "  but,"  said  he,  "  you  will  not  believe  them  ;  the 
one  I  have  related  is  the  strongest,"  [most  interesting.]  I  told 
him  that  I  should  like  to  hear  his  stories.  The  Indians  among 
whom  1  lived  often  related  to  me  theirs.  "  I  will  not  laugh  at 
yours,"  said  I,  "  unless  you  tell  something  with  the  design  of 
producing  laughter."  He  then  mentioned  two  or  three  instan 
ces,  and  detailed  the  circumstances,  of  Osages  having  been  shot 
through  the  body,  scalped,  and  left  on  the  ground  for  dead,  by 
the  Pawnees,  who  afterwards  recovered,  and  were  still  living. 
The  correctness  of  these  accounts  I  did  not  call  in  question, 
but  responded  by  mentioning  two  or  three  similar  cases  which 
had  occurred  among  the  whites. 

He  proceeded :  "I  will  now  relate  an  affair  which  is  gene 
rally  believed  among  the  Osages.  I  know  not  whether  it  is 
true  or  not.  I  will  tell  it  as  I  heard  it.  The  Pawnees  took  an 
Osage  woman  prisoner  at  the  town  on  the  Verdigris  river,  and 
conducted  her  to  theirs,  which  was  a  distance  of  thirteen  days' 
journey.  After  remaining  some  time  with  them,  the  woman  es 
caped  from  their  village.  But,  being  on  foot  and  alone,  without 
the  means  of  making  fire  or  of  procuring  food,  and  with  a  track 
less  wilderness  of  thirteen  days'  journey  between  her  and  her 
people,  she  was  soon  reduced  to  great  distress,  and  had  reason 
to  despair  of  ever  seeing  her  people.  In  this  melancholy  con 
dition  she  was  visited  by  a  wolf,  which  inquired  the  cause  of 
her  distress.  On  hearing  her  answer,  he  admonished  her  to 
take  courage,  and  promised,  to  furnish  her  with  a  guide  and  with 
supplies.  He  then  conducted  her  to  a  buffalo.  The  latter  en 
tered  into  conversation  with  her,  and  invited  her  to  follow  him, 
and  assured  her  that  he  would  guide  her  safely  home.  As  to 
her  eating,  she  need  not  be  uneasy ;  his  eating  would  have  the 
mysterious  effect  of  imparting  nourishment  to  her.  Grass  was 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  363 

abundant,  so  that  food  adapted  to  his  powers  of  digestion  would 
not  he  wanting ;  all  this  she  found  to  be  true.  They  prosecuted 
their  journey  together  until  one  day  they  arrived  at  the  stump 
of  a  tree  which  had  been  cut  down  with  an  axe.  He  asked 
her  if  she  knew  that  place  ?  She  replied  in  the  negative.  Said 
he,  '  you  cut  down  that  tree  yourself.'  When  she  was  made  to 
recognise  the  place,  he  said,  '  now  you  are  near  your  village — 
you  know  the  way, and  can  go  alone.'  So  saying,  he  departed. 

"  The  woman  is  now  living  in  one  of  the  Osage  villages. 
Her  face  is  tatooed,  after  the  manner  of  the  Pawnee  women.* 
It  is  a  fact  that  she  vyas  a  prisoner,  and  she  says  it  was  by  the 
means  stated  that  she  was  enabled  to  return.  I  know  not  whe 
ther  her  story  is  true  or  false,  but  we  can  hardly  suppose  that 
she  could  return  so  great  a  distance  through  a  wilderness,  in  her 
destitute  condition,  without  assistance." 

To  the  foregoing  narrative  I  made  no  reply.  He  then  pro 
ceeded  with  another.  "  The  past  summer,"  said  he,  "  a  man 
and  a  woman  encountered,  in  the  wilderness,  a  violent  thund.er 
storm.  Each  sought  a  shelter  beneath  a  plum  tree,  two  of 
which  stood  near  each  other.  While  the  man  was  seated, 
wrapped  in  his  blanket,  which  was  made  to  cover  his  lap, 
the  thunder  came  down,  and  struck  him  on  the  head,  and,  pass 
ing  through  the  blanket,  descended  between  his  knees,  and 
entered  the  earth.  The  woman,  affrighted,  attempted  to  flee, 
but  had  gone  a  few  steps  only,  when  the  thunder  came  down 
again  and  killed  her.  Where  the  thunder  entered  the  ground 
between  the  man's  feet,  the  Osages  who  attended  to  the  fune 
rals  observed  a  round  hole  about  as  large  as  a  tin  cup,  [which  he 
pointed  to,  three  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter,]  and  in  this  hole 
was  a  stone,  by  the  fall  of  which  the  hole  had  been  formed. 
This,  they  supposed  to  be  a  thunder  stone.  They  did  not 
touch  it,  because  it  was  esteemed  a  sacred  thing.  Hitherto,  our 
people  had  supposed  that  the  thunder  was  like  a  small  bird,  and 
that  after  the  stroke,  it  instantly  flew  back  to  the  clouds  ;  hence 
they  never  could  find  it,  but  now  it  is  known  that  thunder  is  a 
stone." 

For  his  encouragement  in  talking,  and  to  satisfy  him  that  I 

*  It  is  common  among  many  of  the  uncivilized  Indians,  both  males  and 
females,  to  make  indelible  blue  marks  on  the  face,  arms,  or  bodyt  as  best 
suits  the  fancy  of  the  person.  The  practice  prevails  to  a  greater  extent  in 
some  tribes  than  in  others.  The  more  ignorant  of  the  men  among  the  frontier 
Canadians  and  Mexicans  often  do  the  same.  The  figure,  line,  or  spot,  is 
made  by  pricking  the  skin,  and  rubbing  therein  colouring  matter,  usually  gun 
powder,  which,  becoming  deposited  beneath  the  cuticle  of  the  skin,  gives  it  a, 
p  ermaneut  tinge. 


364  MlflT-ORY  OF  BAPTIST 

was  not  so  illiberal  as  to  require  him  to  bear  the  whole  burden 
of  conversation,  1  related  the  traditionary  tale  of  the  Ottawas, 
respecting  the  means  by  which  they  obtained  an  iron  pot.*  I 
then  asked  him  how  the  Osages  first  obtained  fire.  He  readily 
replied  as  follows: 

"  The  story  is  connected  with  our  religion,  and  when  I  tell 
you  about  our  first  obtaining  fire,  I  shall  also  speak  of  our  pray 
ing.  Our  first  attempt  to  procure  fire  was  by  the  use  of  a  large 
dry  weed,  the  pith  of  which  was  large  in  proportion  to  the 
harder  exterior.  The  weed  was  laid  horizontally  on  the  earth, 
and  a  hole  made  in  the  side,  extending  into  the  dry  pith  ;  into 
this  hole  the  operator  inserted  a  hard  diy  stick,  then  taking  the 
upper  end  of  the  stick  between  his  two  hands,  and  rubbing 
them  rapidly  backward  and  forward,  turned  the  stick  first  one 
way  and  then  the  other,  constantly  praying  to  God  for  success. 
The  friction  occasioned  smoke,  but  not  flame,  or  fire  in  a  man 
ner  that  could  be  kindled.  While  thus  laboriously  employed, 
and  nearly  in  despair,  a  panther  came  to  him  and  inquired  what 
he  was  doing.  He  said  he  was  trying  to  make  fire.  The  pan 
ther  then  kindly  told  him  that  he  would  show  him  a  better 
method  of  procuring  fire.  So  saying,  he  instantly  ascended  an 
exceedingly  rocky  hill  which  rose  up  from  the  place,  and  as  he 
ran  up  the  hill  with  frantic  speed  and  Ibrce,  he  kicked  stone 
upon  stone  with  such  violence  that  he  made  the  "fire  fly." 
The  fire  maker  now  perceived  that  fire  could  be  produced  by 
percussion,  and  this  led  to  the  use  of  flint  and  steel.  After 
obtaining  sparks,  they  laboured  considerably  before  they  suc 
ceeded  in  kindling  them.  This  they  ultimately  effected  by 
means  of  dry  leaves,  decayed  wood,  and  the  like.  For  this 
peculiar  favour  from  the  panther,  the  Osages  still  cherish  great 
respect  for  that  animal,  and  often  when  we  pray  we  wrap  our- 
elves  in  a  panther's  skin.  We  pray  and  have  our  religion:  as 
well  as  the  whites.  We  have  no  preachers  among  us  to  make 
us  acquainted  with  your  religion,  but  we  worship  W6h-kon'-da 
[the  Father  of  Life]  in  our  own  way.  Now,"  said  he,  "  I 
want  some  information  from  ycu3  and  will  ask  you  a  question. 
How  did  white  people  first  obtain  shoes  ?" 

It  may  easily  be  imagined  that  to  give  an  appropriate  answer 
to  this  unexpected  and  singular  question,  and  one  that  would 
appear  suitably  polite,  would  be  attended  with  some  embarrass 
ment.  Endeavouring,  however,  to  maintain  the  gravity  which 
important  matters  of  conversation  demand.  I  made  out  some 
thing  of  a  story — spoke  of  the  reasonableness  of  applying  the 

*  See  page  304. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


365 


thick  skins  of  animals  to  the  feet,  as  that  article  could  not  con 
veniently  be  used  for  food  ;  and  then  I  mentioned  the  improve 
ment  made  in  hides  to  convert  them  into  leather.  Shoes  at  first 
only  protected  the  soles  of  the  feet ;  subsequently,  they  were 
improved  so  as  to  cover  the  foot  entirely,  and  these  supposed 
improvements  were  followed  up  to  extremes,  and  shoes  were 
made  to  extend  as  high  as  the  knee.  Experience  having  taught 
that  shoes  had  been  made  too,  large,  they  were  diminished 
until  they  were  commonly  limited  to  the  foot,  or  to  the  foot  and 
lower  half  of  the  leg.  While  making  these  explanations,  I  was 
honoured  with  sober  attention. 

Indian  traditions,  tales,  &c.,  often  involve  such  glaring  absurd 
ities,  that  the  reader  will  be  tempted  to  suppose  that  we  have 
omitted  such  parts  of  the  story  as  wrould  tend  to  reconcile  the 
inconsistencies.  When,  for  instance,  we  tell  of  the  first  attempts 
to  procure  fire,  the  mind  of  the  reader  naturally  inquires,  where 
do  the  Indians  suppose  other  human  beings  were  at  that  time? 
How  had  the  Osages  previously  lived  without  fire  ?  How  did 
this  man  know  that  such  a  thing  as  fire  could  be  produced  ? 
How  do  they  account  for  wolves,  panthers,  and  buffalo,  enter 
ing  into  conversation  with  man,  &c.  ?  These  things  they  never 
attempt  to  account  for.  When  they  have  told  the  story,  and 
stated  the  facts,  they  suppose  that  they  have  done  all  that  is 
required  of  them;  others  may  account  for  all  that  is  uncommon, 
and  at  their  leisure  reconcile  the  parts  of  the  narrative  which 
appear  to  be.  at  variance  with  each  other  or  with  common  sense. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Exploring  expedition'  continued,  and  terminated  on  Arkansas. 
Journey  to  Washington.  Report  of  the  expedition.  Valua 
tion  of  improvements  at  Carey.  Influence  of  politics  upon 
the  subject  of  Indian  colonization.  Reprint  of  remarks  on 
Indian  reform.  Triennial  convention.  Memorial  to  Con 
gress.  Missionaries  remove  to  the  West.  Calumny  counter 
acted. 

November  the  26th,  1828,  our  exploring  company  encamped 
on  the  Arkansas,  at  the  mouth  of  Verdigris  river.  We  remained 
in  this  neighbourhood  until  the  2d  of  December.  Here  our 
Creek  delegation  had  an  opportunity  of  enjoying  the  company 
of  about  fifteen  hundred  of  their  countrymen,  who  had.  recently 


366 


HISTORY    OP    BAPTIST 


arrived  from  the  east  of  the  Mississippi.  This  interview  ap 
peared  to  be  pleasant  to  both  parties.  These  Creek  immigrants 
belonged  to  what  was  termed  the  Mclntosh  party,  and  our  dele 
gation  belonged  to  the  other  and  larger  party.  Old  General 
Mclntosh,  who  had  headed  this  smaller  party  on  the  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  had  been  killed  by  the  others,  and  some  fears  were 
felt  lest  an  existing  grudge  might  mar  the  future  peace  of  the 
two  parties,  if  located  near  each  other.  It  was,  therefore,  the 
more  pleasant  to  witness  the  friendly  manner  in  which  the  delega 
tion  was  received  by  the  immigrants.  They  expressed  a  desire 
that  their  people  generally  should  follow  and  settle  with  them  ; 
and  lest  any  should  be  deterred  from  doing  so,  by  supposing 
that  the  immigrants  retained  angry  feelings  on  account  of  a  former 
quarrel,  they  held  a  council,  and  prepared  a  written  communi 
cation  to  the  other  party,  affectionately  inviting  them  into  their 
country,  under  assurances  that  former  grudges  were  buried. 

Here  we  left  our  Creek  delegation,  who,  after  remaining  a 
few  days  with  their  people,  would  go  directly  to  their  home  on 
the  east  of  the  Mississippi.  I  therefore-  settled  accounts  with 
them,  gave  them  funds  to  take  them  home,  &c.  From  this 
place,  also,  Mograin,  who  was  our  interpreter  for  the  Osages  and 
some  others,  turned  back.  Here,  also,  we  got  rid  of  our  circus 
man,  Pa  pin.  We  first  left  him  to  take  care  of  a  few  worn-down 
horses,  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Gibson,  and  he  was  afterwards 
induced  to  remain  in  the  place,  for  the  purpose  of  amusing  the 
idle  by  a  circus  in  that  wilderness  Indian  country.  I  believe 
that  the  design  was  never  carried  out. 

Notwithstanding  my  great  anxiety  to  return  to  my  family, 
from  whom  I  had  been  separated  much  longer  than  I  had  ex 
pected,  I  was  desirous  that  we  should  see  as  much  of  the  coun 
try  designed  for  Indian  settlement  as  possible.  During  the 
earlier  part  of  the  excursion,  the  plea  for  not  going  further  west 
from  the  State  of  Missouri  was,  that  they  desired  to  employ  the 
time  in  examining  the  country  between  the  North  Fork  and  the 
main  Canadian  river.  We  were  between  these  rivers  on  the 
4th  of  December;  but  so  anxious  were  the  company  to  termi 
nate  the  tour,  that  not  a  single  night  was  spent  there. 

We  were  now  in  a  buffalo  country,  though  but  a  short  dis 
tance  south  of  Fort  Gibson.  On  the  5th  of  December,  four  of 
our  Indians  became  separated  from  us,  as  they  were  in  pursuit 
of  buffalo,  the  last  of  whom  did  not  reach  our  camp  until 
after  dark,  when  he  was  conducted  to  us  by  a  Cherokee,  on 
whose  camp  he  had  by  chance  fallen.  On  the  following  day, 
two  buffalo  were  taken  by  some  of  the  party. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


367 


At  camp  on  the  south  of  the  Arkansas,  and  near  the  junction 
of  that  river  and  Canadian  river,  December  7th,  our  explora 
tions  terminated.  Here  we  were  to  separate.  The  Choctaws 
would  pass  home  by  way  of  a  few  of  their  people  who  had  set 
tled  on  Red  river,  and  the  Chickasaws  would  proceed  direct 
to  their  places  east  of  the  Mississippi,  while  others  of  us  would 
return  to  St.  Louis.  As  the  principal  design  of  the  exploration 
was  to  satisfy  the  Chickasaws,  I  inquired  of  them  if  they  were 
pleased  with  the  country,  &c.,  to  which  they  sent  me  the  fol 
lowing  note : 

"  Canadian  river,  December  7th,  1828. 

"  FRIEND  AND  BROTHER  :  In  reply  to  your  request,  we  have 
to  say  to  you  that,  from  the  situation  of  affairs  at  home,  we  are 
not  able  to  give  you  any  account  of  the  present  tour.  When 
we  return  home,  and  find  our  affairs  settled  with  the  General 
Government  satisfactorily  to  us,  we  will  then  make  our  report 
to  our  Great  Father,  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
*'  We  are,  with  great  respect,  your  friends  and  brothers, 

"  LEVI  COLBERT, 
"  ISH-TE-MA-TAH-KA, 
"  EMMUBBA, 
"  IM-MA-TAH-ISH-TO, 
"  AH-TO-CO-WAH, 
"  ISH-TA-YAH-TTJBBA, 
"  BAH-KAH-TUBBA, 
"  THOS.  SEALY, 
<:  ISAAC  LOVE, 
"  ELAPA-UMBA, 
"  C.  COLBERT, 
"  J.  McLisH. 
«  To  Mr.  McCoy." 

The  other  members  of  the  delegation  were  absent  at  the  time, 
in  quest  of  buffalo. 

I  was  confident  that  they  had  started  on  the  expedition  with 
reluctance.  They  had  avoided  an  examination  of  the  country 
only  so  far  as  seemed  necessary  to  save  appearances,  and  I  had 
not  the  least  expectation  that  they  would  report  in  favour  of 


coming  to  it. 


On  our  way  back  to  St.  Louis,  we  passed  the  Union  and 
Harmony  missionary  stations,  both  under  the  patronage  of  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  origi 
nated  in  about  1820,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Osages.  Harmony 
was  located  fifteen  miles  within  the  State  of  Missouri,  about 


368 


HISTORY    OK    BAPTIST 


seventy-five  miles  from  the  Osage  villages,  excepting  a  few 
houses  which  were  near  the  station.  Union  was  twenty-five  or 
thirty  miles  from  the  nearest  Osage  village,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  who  had  been  induced  to  form  a  small  settlement 
nearer ;  and  in  the  exchanges  which  had  been  made  of  lands, 
this  station  had  fallen  within  the  Cherokee  country.  Both  sta 
tions  were  designed  to  operate  upon  a  large  scale;  many  mis 
sionaries  were  connected  with  them,  and  in  each  the  system  of 
boarding  schools  had  very  properly  been  introduced.  The 
missionaries  were  worthy  of  great  praise  for  their  piety,  and 
devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  perishing  Indians;  and,  while 
in  these  respects  they  were  well  qualified  to  be  useful,  it  was 
evident  that  each  station  needed  a  superintendent,  qualified  to 
manage  men  and  matters  under  difficult  circumstances.  All 
pious  persons  are  not  qualified  for  missionaries,  and  there  are 
many  who  may  labour  advantageously  in  spheres  congenial  to 
Christian  kindness,  if  associated  with  one  who  has  talents  for 
management,  who,  without  the  latter,  would  be  unsuccessful. 
These  good  missionaries  became  discouraged,  and  both  stations 
have  since  been  discontinued,  and  all  the  missionaries  have  aban 
doned  the  missionary  field.  They  fancied  that  the  condition  of 
the  Osages  was  hopeless,  or  nearly  so,  and  to  this  they  ascribed 
their  want  of  success.  I  was  obliged  to  view  the  subject  differ 
ently.  The  opinion  I  then  formed  has  been  confirmed  by  my 
acquaintance  with  the  Osages  since — that,  among  our  uncivilized 
or  partially  civilized  tribes,  no  opening  presented  itself  so  favour 
able  for  successful  missionary  operations  as  in  this  tribe.  These 
poor  people  have  been  neglected,  but,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter, 
they  have  not  been  wholly  abandoned. 

Forty  miles  north  of  Fort  Gibson,  it  was  necessary  for  us  to 
halt  a  few  minutes  at  a  trading  house,  near  which  Monopushe, 
an  Osage  chief,  with  his  party,  was  encamped.  The  chief  sent 
for  me  to  visit  his  tent ;  a  son  of  his  had  been  a  while  at  Union 
mission,  and  had  learned  English  enough  to  serve  as  our  inter 
preter.  He  spread  a  blanket  on  the  earth,  and  seated  me  near 
him,  and  placed  before  me  a  wooden  bowl  of  buffalo  meat.  He 
then  inquired  what  chiefs  we  had  seen  south  of  that  place,  and 
what  talks  had  taken  place.  He  expressed  much  dissatisfaction 
with  two  Osages  who  had  been  in  our  company;  said  they  were 
bad  men,  who  had  lied ;  they  had  sold  the  country  in  which  we 
then  were,  and  in  which  his  towns  were,  to  the  United  States, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Cherokees,  but  he  was  resolved  not  to 
leave  it,  but  would  fight  for  the  maintenance  of  his  rights.  I 
endeavoured  to  satisfy  him  that  we  were  not  concerned  in  this 


INDIAN  MISTS  IONS.  369 

matter  at  all,  and  that  we  had  been  upon  other  business.  Hd 
appeared  calm  vvhen  I  parted  with  him,  and  to  promote  good 
feeling  I  sent  him  some  tobacco. 

The  Osages  and  Cherokees  had  been  at  war,  and  lives  had 
been  taken  from  both  parties.  Now  they  had  become  near 
neighbours,  and,  in  order  to  make  room  for  the  immigrants,  the 
OsageS  Were  required  to  leave  towns  which  they  had  long  inha 
bited,  and  retire  within  a  tract  which  had  been  reserved  for 
their  use  by  a  treaty  in  1825.  It  was  not  surprising,  therefore, 
that  the  latter  should  feel  dissatisfied.  These  Osages  remained 
at  their  villages  within  the  Cherokee  country  ten  years  after  the 
time  of  which  we  are  speaking. 

It  was  now  winter,  when  grazing  for  our  horses  was  poof, 
and  almost  daily  some  of  them  failed.  Early  on  the  morning 
of  the  14th  of  December,  we  heard  the  voice  of  an  Osage  en 
gaged  in  his  morning  orison^  though  till  that  time  we  had  riot 
known  that  an  Osage  encampment  was  near  ours,  nor  did  we 
See  the  people  at  all.  We  were  at  this  time  living  poorly,  upori 
a  scanty  supply  of  dried  buffalo  meat,  sour  flour,  and  coifed 
without  sugar.  We  encamped  near  White  Hair's  village  on  the 
night  of  the  14th,  and,  soon  after  we  stopped,  an  Osage  brought 
to  camp  about  a  gallon  of  corn,  which  he  kindly  presented  to 
me,  with  which  to  feed  my  horse.  At  the  Osage  agency,  ort 
the  following  day,  we  found  a  comfortable  meal,  which  was  a 
grateful  treat,  and  our  horses  obtained  a  feed  of  corn. 

We  returned  to  St.  Louis  on  the  evening  of  the  24th  of 
December.  My  extreme  anxiety  to  return  to  my  family  had 
induced  me  to  prepare  my  accounts  and  all  my  papers,  as  far  as 
practicable,  on  the  road,  so  as  not  to  be  long  detained  in  St. 
Louis.  Stopping  to  close  some  business  in  the  country,  I  had 
desired  Dr.  Todson  to  take  my  letters  out  of  the  post  office, 
and  have  them  ready  at  my  arrival,  lest  it  should  be  after  th£ 
office  had  been  closed  at  night.  He  did,  indeed,  take  the  let 
ters  from  the  office,  but  wandered  off  where  I  could  not  find 
him.  The  stage  would  leave  for  the  East  at  sunrise  on  the  fol 
lowing  day",  and  the  ice  was  accumulating  in  the  Mississippi,  and 
it  Was  probable  that  if  I  did  not  cross  to  go  with  the  first  stage, 
I  should  be  detained  Some  days  or  weeks.  My  mind  was  filled 
With  great  anxiety.  I  at  length  found  the  Doctor  and  my  pa 
pers,  and,  by  working  till  midnight,  prepared  to  take  the  stage 
06  the  following  morning. 

At  this  time  my  two  elder  sons,  Rice  and  Josephus,  were 
studying  medicine  in  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Before  I  left 
Carey,  we  had  supposed  that  it  would  be  proper  for  my  family, 

47 


£70  HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 

and  Mr.  Lykins's,  to  leave  the  station  during  the  autumn,  and 
spend  a  few  months  in  the  white  settlements,  while  I  should  be 
discharging  the  duties  upon  which  I  had  entered;  and  then  for 
both  families  to  go  west,  with  the  design  of  forming  missionary 
settlements  in  the  Indian  territory.  I  did  not  hear  from  my 
family  whether  this  plan  had  been  entered  upon,  until  1  reached 
St.  Louis,  where  I  learned  that  the  families  were  then  in  Lex 
ington,  Kentucky,  which  place  I  reached  on  the  1st  of  January, 
1829,  after  an  absence  of  SJK  months. 

In  September,  during  rny  absence,  Governour  Cass  and  Col. 
P.  Menard,  Commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
held  a  treaty  at  Carey  with  the  Putawatornies,  for  the  purchase 
of  land.  At  this  treaty  Mr.  Lykins  succeeded  in  obtaining  a 
stipulation  providing  an  annuity  of  one  thousand  dollars  for  edu 
cational  purposes,  which  we  fully  expected  would  be  applied 
under  the  direction  of  the  Baptist  board  of  missions,  with  which 
we  were  connected.  Subsequently,  to  our  great  disappointment, 
and  not  a  little  to  our  dissatisfaction,  these  funds,  through  an 
influence  of  which  I  did  not  hesitate  to  complain,  were  applied 
elsewhere.  Annuities  of  two  thousand  dollars,  for  the  educa 
tion  of  Putawatomies  and  Miamies,  to  obtain  which  we  had 
laboured  at  the  treaty  of  1826,  and  which  had  been  promised 
to  us,  we  had  already  been  deprived  of;  the  loss,  therefore,  of 
this  last  one  thousand  dollar  annuity  was  to  us  the- more  griev 
ous,  especially  as  our  support  almost  wholly  depended  on  the 
help  we  obtained  from  Government,  and  as  we  were  constantly 
pressed  for  the  want  of  means  to  support  our  large  Indian  and 
missionary  family.  In  order  to  pay  debts  which  the  mission 
owed,  and  to  enable  him  to  carry  out  our  designs  of  going  west, 
Mr.  Lykins  had  furnished,  at  the  treaty  at  our  house,  some  sup 
plies,  the  product  of  our  farm,  which  brought  some  pecuniary 
relief. 

About  the  1st  of  October,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simerwell  returned 
to  Carey,  from  a  visit  to  their  friends  in  the  eastern  States,  on 
which  they  had  been  absent  from  the  station  more  than  three 
months.  Mr.  Lykins  and  wife,  and  my  family,  were  in  readi 
ness  to  leave  on  their  arrival ;  the  station,  therefore,  was  left  in 
charge  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simerwell.  We  had  for  some  months 
been  preparing  to  close  our  labours  there,  and,  consequently, 
operations  were  by  this  time  greatly  curtailed.  We  had  been 
taught,  by  the  experience  of  many  years,  that  it  devolved  on 
the  missionaries  to  devise  measures,  and  to  procure  the  means 
of  accomplishing  them.  The  attention  of  the  board  being  chiefly 
engrossed  by  their  missions  in  other  countries,  which  were  prose- 


INDIAN   MISSIONS.  371 

cuted  with  discretion,  zeal,  and  success,  they  could  not  be  ex 
pected  to  feel  that  interest  in  the  establishment  -of  missions 
among  the  tribes  in  the  West  that  we  did.  We  did  not  believe 
that  they  would  grant  us  permission,  at  that  time,  to  go  west, 
and  we  therefore  did  not  ask  it ;  for  it  would  have  been  more 
painful  to  go  contrary  to  direct  orders,  than  to  go  without  orders; 
and,  from  the  views  we  had  taken,  we  felt  that  we  had  already 
too  long  delayed  to  remove.  The  board  was  not  satisfied  with 
this  movement,  and  rebuked  Mr.  Lykins  for  leaving  the  Carey 
station  before  he  had  obtained  permission.  Mr.  Lykins  re 
mained  at  Lexington  with  the  families  until  I  returned,  when  he 
went  back  to  Carey,  to  render  such  assistance  in  business  as 
was  necessary.  The  letter  from  the  board,  complaining  of  pre 
cipitancy  in  our  movements,  came  to  hand  after  Mr.  Lykins's 
departure  from  Lexington  to  Carey ;  the  duty  of  answering  it, 
therefore,  devolved  on  me,  and  our  reasons  were  candidly  stated. 

It  was  necessary  for  me  to  be  at  Washington,  to  report  as 
soon  as  practicable ;  I  therefore  remained  only  seventeen  days 
with  my  family,  before  I  again  left  them  on  a  four  months'  tour. 
I  did  not  remain  in  Lexington  long  enough  to  prepare  my  ac 
counts,  and  two  days  on  the  steamboat,  as  I  ascended  the  Ohio 
river,  I  wrote  faithfully.  1  arrived  at  Washington  on  the  27th 
of  January,  but  having  made  exertions  beyond  my  strength-,  I 
sickened,  and  was  confined  to  my  room  several  days,  under  the 
care  of  Dr.  Sewall. 

According  to  the  division  of  labour  which  the  Department  of 
Indian  Affairs  had  made  between  Captain  Kennedy  and  myself, 
it  had  become  properly  his  business  to  report  the  character  of 
the  country,  the  route  we  had  taken,  &c.,  and  mine  to  attend  to 
the  settlement  of  accounts.  I  had  reason  to  suppose  that  Cap- 
lain  Kennerly  would  say  little  more  than  would  be  reported  by 
the  topographists;  and  their  report,  I  knew,  would  necessarily 
not  be  such  a  condensed  statement,  relative  to  the  suitableness 
of  the  country  for  settlement,  as  the  case  demanded.  I  there 
fore  made  a  formal  report,  although  it  was  not  really  my  pro 
vince  to  do  so.  This,  I  had  reason  to  suppose,  was  unexpected 
by  some  connected  with  the  matter;  and  Colonel  McKenney 
himself,  who  was  at  the  head  of  Indian  affairs,  intimated  that  it 
was  informal.  I  nevertheless  felt  the  necessity  of  the  measure  ; 
I  was  exceedingly  desirous  that  the  character  of  the  country 
should  be  known  to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  and  that 
some  further  action  of  the  Government,  relative  to  the  location 
of  Indians  there,  should  be  produced  as  soon  as  practicable. 


372 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


The  following  is  an  extract  from  my  letter  to  the  Secretary  of 
War,  the  Hon.  P.  B.  Porter,  which  accompanied  my  report: 

".....  Document  No.  1  exhibits  in  detail  the  disburse 
ment  of  the  funds  confided  to  my  trust.  Documents  Nos.  2 
and  3  furnish  vouchers.  Document  No.  4  contains  explana 
tions.  Document  No.  5  is  a  map  of  the  country  we  explored, 
and  extending  west  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  north  beyond 
what  may  probably  be  the  limits  of  the  Indian  territory.  It  also 
exhibits  the  claims  of  the  several  tribes,  and  the  amount  of  un 
appropriated  lands.  Document  No.  6  furnishes  a  brief  history 
of  the  expedition,  a  description  of  the -country,  and  my  views 
relative  to  the  settlement  of  Indian  tribes  therein,  and  the  sub 
jects  connected  therewith  which  claim  the  immediate  attention 
of  our  Government." 

My  report  having  lain  in  the  office  of  the  Department  of  In 
dian  Affairs  nine  days,  and  fearing  that  it  would  not  appear 
before  Congress  in  time  to  produce  any  effect,  the  Honourable 
Wm.  McLean,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs 
in  the  House  of  Representatives,  made  a  call  of  the  House  for 
those  documents,  which  he  did  with  success.  The  following  is 
an  extract  from  the  report  of  the  Committee,  of  which  Mr. 
McLean  was  Chairman : 

"  The  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs,  to  which  was  referred  so 
much  of  -the  President's  Message,  transmitted  to  Congress  at 
the  commencement  of  its  present  session,  as  has  reference  to 
our  Indian  relations,  with  the  documents  from  the  War  Depart 
ment,  accompanying  the  same,  on  that  subject  ;  and  to  whom 
was  also  referred  the  communication  from  the  War  Department 
of  the  12th  instant,  transmitting  reports  from  the  commission 
ers  appointed  under  the  act  of  Congress,  passed  at  the  last  ses 
sion,  authorizing  an  exploration  of  the  country  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  report: 

"  That,  on  a  review  of  the  subject  touching  our  Indian 
relations,  the  committee  are  confirmed  in  the  belief  that  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  cannot,  in  justice  to  this 
dependant  race  of  human  beings,  cease  to  exercise  over  them 
a  parental  guardianship,  and  that  no  means  should  be  left  unem 
ployed  which  promise  an  elevation  of  their  character,  and  an 
increase  of  their  happiness  and  prosperity.  This  position  is  so 
clear  as  to  render  unnecessary  any  reference  to  the  history  of 
our  relations  with  the  aborigines  of  this  country  to  sustain  it.  A 
very  small  portion  of  this  history  can  be  contemplated  with 
pleasure.  We  have,  it  is  true,  legislated,  and  doubtless  with  a 
view  -to  the  welfare  of  the  Indians,  but  our  legislation  does  not 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


373 


appear  to  have  tended  even  to  ameliorate  their  condition,  much 
Jess  to  elevate  them  to  the  level  of  their  more  fortunate  white 
brothers.  It  would  seem  that  our  chief  business  had  been  to 
trade  and  barter  with  them,  not  for  their  interest  so  much  as  our 
own.  We  give  them  annuities  for  their  lands,  and  have  occa 
sionally,  by  some  feeble  efforts,  assisted  a  few  of  them  10  rise 
from  the  vices  into  which  they  have  been  led  by  our  example 
into  better  life  and  better  hopes;  but,  in  doiflg  this,  we  have 
not  fulfilled  our  obligations  which  grow  out  of  our  relations  to 
them. 

"  Without  further  reference  to  the  past,  the  committee  will  pro 
ceed  to  consider  the  present  condition  of  the  Indians,  especi 
ally  those  tribes  and  parts  of  tribes  whose  country  is  embraced 
by  some  of  the  States  and  organized  Territories. 

"  It  is  well  known  that  the  condition  of  the  four  southern  tribes, 
the  Chickasaws,  Choctaws,  Cherokees,  and  Creeks,  has  become 
extremely  critical.  There  does  appear  to  have  arrived  a 
crisis  in  which  the  salvation  or  destruction  of  those  tribes  is 
involved.  Some  of  the  States  within  whose  limits  they  are  situ 
ated  urge  their  removal,  while  many  of  the  Indians  cling  to 
their  soil.  Repeated  efforts  have  been  made  by  the  General 
Government  to  reconcile  the  parties,  and  to  obtain  the  consent 
of  the  Indians  to  remove,  but  some  of  them  still  persevere  in 
their  refusal  to  go,  and  call  upon  the  Federal  Government  for 
protection.  No  force  has  been  employed  on  either  side,  but 
the  right  of  sovereignty  in  the  States  is  proposed  to  be  ex 
ercised  over  all  the  Indians  within  certain  of  the  States,  by 
making  them  amenable  to  their  laws,  and  answerable  for  any 
violation  of  them  before  their  courts  of  jurisprudence.  This 
policy,  it  is  feared,  would  prove  destructive  to  the  Indians. 

"  The  question  then  recurs,  How  are  they  to  be  preserved  ? 
The  committee  can  perceive  but  one  way  ;  and  that  is,  by  adopt 
ing  the  policy  proposed  by  the  Government  for  their  removal 
and  collocation  upon  lands  without  the  limits  of  the  States  and 
organized  Territories.  The  policy  of  urging  them  to  leave  their 
country  for  another  would  be  deplored,  if  it  were  not  believed 
to  be  the  only  effectual  measure  to  secure  the  prosperity  and 
happiness  of  themselves  and  their  posterity. 

"It  will  be  seen  by  the  documents  accompanying  this  report, 
that  the  persons  appointed  by  the  President,  under  the  act  of 
Congress  passed  at  the  last  session,  authorizing  an  exploration 
of  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi,  have  performed  the 
duties  assigned  to  them,  and  furnished  satisfactory  evidence  of 
the  fitness,  extent,  and  even  desirableness  of  the  country  upon 


374  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

which  it  is  proposed  to  locate  the  Indians,  a  considerable  pro 
portion  of  which  is  now  possessed  by  parts  of  the  Choctaws, 
Cherokees,  and  Creeks,  who  are  anxious  to  receive  their  friends 
from  the  east. 

"  A  part  of  the  delegations  from  the  different  tribes  who  ac 
companied  the  commissioners  have  returned,  being  well  pleased 
with  the  country,  and  are  desirous  to  emigrate  to  it ;  especially 
the  Creeks,  whose  application  to  that  effect  is  appended  to  this 
report. 

"  It  is  believed  that  the  great  body  of  the  Indians  now  residing 
within  the  States  are  willing  to  emigrate,  but  are  deterred  from 
doing  so  by  the  fear  of  their  chiefs,  who  are  influenced  to  op 
pose  the  measure  by  interested  traders,  who  speculate  in  Indian 
annuities. 

"  The  proposed  plan  for  the  colonization  of  the  Indians  has 
long  since  been  suggested,  and  indeed  approved  and  acted  on 
by  the  Executive  and  by  Congress.  In  many  of  our  treaties 
with  them,  provisions  have  been  introduced  for  their  emigration 
to  the  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  pledges  given  to  furnish  them 
with  the  necessary  aid  in  their  removal.  Those  treaties  have 
been  sanctioned,  and  some  of  them  carried  into  effect  by  the 
Congress,  and  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  whole  of  them  the  faith 
of  the  Government  is  solemnly  pledged. 

"  The  committee  recommend  that  the  lands  upon  which  the 
Indians  shall  be  located  be  so  secured  to  them,  as  that,  in  no  future 
time,  they  may  be  dispossessed,  or  even  encroached  upon  ;  that 
they  be  paid  a  just  compensation  for  their  improvements  which 
they  may  abandon  ;  that  protection  be  afforded  them  in  their 
new  homes  ;  that,  so  soon  as  circumstances  shall  admit  of  and 
require  it,  they  be  furnished  with  all  the  helps  necessary  to  form 
for  themselves  a  government  of  laws  suited  to  their  condition, 
and  the  means  of  education  in  letters  and  the  arts.  In  a  word, 
that  they  be,  so  far  as  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
may  have  the  power,  redeemed  from  the  evils  of  the  past,  and 
elevated,  so  far  as  possible,  into  rights  and  privileges  such  as 
we  enjoy.  To  such  as  shall  prefer  remaining  where  they  are, 
and  come  under  the  laws  of  the  States,  (and  doubtless  there  are 
some  such,)  give  ample  reservations,  under  proper  restrictions. 
Thus  would  the  parties,  even  among  themselves,  be  accommo 
dated,  and  the  great  object  realized,  in  ridding  the  States  of  a 
population  which  they  feel  to  be  burdensome,  and  in  conferring 
blessings  on  the  Indians. 

"  The  plan  suggested  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  in  his  report 
accompanying  the  President's  message  to  Congress  at  the  com- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  375 

mencement  of  the  present  session,  in  reference  to  the  Indians, 
is,  that  they  be  encouraged  and  aided  in  their  removal  to  the 
proposed  country;  and  he  urges  the  importance  of  the  coloni 
zation  plan  in  the  following  language :  '  If  the  project  of  colo 
nization  be  a  wise  one,  and  of  this  1  believ7e  no  one  entertains  a 
doubt,  why  not  shape  all  our  laws  and  treaties  to  the  attainment 
of  that  object,  and  impart  to  them  an  efficiency  that  shall  be 
sure  to  effect  it  ?' 

"  The  President  of  the  United  States  also  approves  of,  and 
recommends,  the  adoption  of  this  course,  and,  among  other  rea 
sons  by  him  assigned,  is  the  unanswerable  one  of  the  difficulty 
likely  to  arise  from  the  formation  of  independent  Governments 
among  the  Indians,  within  the  limits  of  sovereign  States,  l  claim 
ing  to  be  independent  of  ours,  and  rivals  of  sovereignty  within 
the  territories  of  the  members  of  our  Union.'  The  committee 
do  not  perceive  that  the  regulations  adopted  by  the  Cherokees, 
under  the  forms  of  a  constitution  and  laws,  change  in  any  man 
ner  their  relations  to  the  United  States.  But  it  is  easy  to  see 
that  a  conflict  must  arise  out  of  this  state  of  things,  whenever 
the  States,  by  their  laws,  take  cognizance  of  the  acts  of  the  In 
dians.  It  is  to  avoid  the  calamities  of  such  a  conflict,  and  to 
save  the  Indians  from  its  heavy  judgments,  that  the  committee 
would  urge  their  removal." 

The  bill  for  the  organization  of  the  Indian  territory,  which 
has  since  twice  passed  the  Senate,  described  the  boundaries  of 
the  territory,  according  to  the  recommendation  contained  in  rny 
report,  and  exhibited  on  the  map  which  accompanied  it.  I  also 
recommended  the  appointment  of  a  superintendent  of  the  Indi 
an  territory,  accompanied  by  reasons  in  favour  of  the  measure ; 
and,  also,  that  measures  be  taken  to  conciliate  the  remote  tribes, 
whose  intercourse  was  chiefly  with  the  Spaniards  of  Mexico,  by 
an  expedition  among  them,  for  the  purpose  of  making  them  ac 
quainted  with  the  United  States,  and  inducing  them  to  be  peace 
able  to  the  immigrant  Indians  and  to  our  citizens.  The  closing 
paragraph  of  the  report  was  as  follows :  "  It  only  remains  for 
me  to  ask  leave  to  express,  with  much  confidence,  my  opinion 
that  the  country  under  consideration  is  adequate  to  the  purposes 
of  a  permanent  and  comfortable  home  for  the  Indians ;  and  what 
ever  may  be  the  obstacles  which  at  present  oppose,  they  may, 
nevertheless,  be  located  there  without  recourse  to  any  mea 
sure  not  in  strict  accordance  with  justice  and  humanity.  In 
such  a  location  only  can  be  found  hopes  of  their  future  pros 
perity,  and  here  their  prospects  would  not  be  shaded  by  a 
doubt." 


376 


HISTORY  OK  BAPTIST 


My  report  was  submitted  on  the  30th  of  January  ;  it  covered 
eighteen  large  pages  of  print,  and  was  appended  to  the  report  of 
the  committee.  Besides  the  number  of  these  documents  which 
Congress  ordered  for  its  use,  I  had  one  thousand  stricken  off  at 
my  own  expense  for  a  wider  circulation,  in  order  to  direct  pub 
lic  attention  to  the  subject. 

Through  Mr.  Lykins,  who  was  at  that  time  attending  to  mat 
ters  at  Carey  and  Thomas,  I  received  a  communication  from 
some  of  the  Putawatomies,  and  another  from  a  few  Ottawas, 
which  they  desired  me  to  submit  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  expressing  a  desire  to  emigrate  to  the  West,  and  asking 
for  assistance.  Also  a  similar  communication  was  received  from 
our  two  Indian  medical  students,  in  Vermont. 

Through  the  attention  of  Mr.  Lykins  at  the  treaty  at  Carey, 
in  October,  1828,  who  was  at  that  time  the  only  male  missiona 
ry  on  the  ground,  provision  had  been  made  by  which  the  Go 
vernment  was  to  pay  for  the  improvements  which  had  been 
made,  in  houses,  fields,  orchards,  &c.,  whenever  the  missionaries 
should  remove.  I  now  reported  to  the  Department  of  Indian 
Affairs  that  we  were  ready  to  close  our  operations  there,  and  de 
sired  that  commissioners  be  appointed  to  value  the  improve 
ments.  The  Department  also  allowed  me  to  nominate  one  of  the 
two  commissioners  to  make  the  valuation.  This  measure,  a  few 
weeks  afterwards,  was  confirmed  by  the  board,  and  Mr.  Lykins 
and  I  directed  to  be  present,  if  practicable,  at  the  appraisement. 
I  chose  Charles  Noble,  Esq.,  of  Michigan,  who  was  the  first 
special  agent  that  had  been  sent  by  the  Government  to  examine 
and  report  the  condition  and  prospects  of  the  mission,  and  the 
Indian  Department  chose  Mr.  Simonson,  of  Indiana.  The 
appraisement  took  place  in  September,  1830. 

Through  the  indulgence  of  Government,  Mr.  Lykins  and  I 
were  allowed,  some  time  after  we  left  the  stations  of  Carey  and 
Thomas,  to  retain  our  commissions — -the  one  as  teacher  for  tho 
Ottawas,  and  the  other  as  teacher  for  the  Putawatomies,  and  as 
superintendent  of  both  stations;  and  tbis  indulgence  was  extend 
ed  until  we  finally  settled  in  the  West.  We  made  out  our 
accounts  for  our  salaries ;  and  these  salaries  were  drawn  by  our 
brethren  Simerwell  and  Meeker,  and  by  them  applied  immedi 
ately  to  the  support  of  their  respective  stations  at  Carey  and 
Thomas. 

About  this  time  the  board  made  a  nominal  change  in  the 
management  of  the  two  stations,  which  would  have  been  pro 
per  at  a  later  period,  but  which  was  premature,  so  long  as  our 
connection  with  the  Government  remained  unaltered.  The  two 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


877 


stations  had  always  been  connected,  not  only  because  such  was 
the  arrangement  of  the  Government,  but  because  it  was  neces 
sary  that  they  should  mutually  assist  each  other  in  means  and 
missionaries.  The  board  separated  the  two,  and  directed  Mr. 
Meeker  and  Mr.  Slater  to  manage  jointly  the  affairs  of  Thomas, 
and  Mr.  Sirnerwell  those  of  Carey.  This  measure  would  have 
led  to  confusion,  and  the  loss  to  those  stations  of  the  support  they 
received  from  the  salaries  of  Mr.  Lykins  and  myself,  had  the 
arrangements  of  the  board  been  strictly  adhered  to.  The  mis 
sionaries,  however,  harmonized  their  movements,  and  went  on 
as  before.  The  schools  were  at  this  time  less  than  formerly, 
but  the  operations  of  each  station  were  sustained  in  a  manner 
creditable  to  the  respective  missionaries. 

A  bill  had  been  introduced  into  the  House  of  Representa 
tives  of  Congress,  providing  an  appropriation  to  carry  forward 
the  design  of  collocating  the  tribes  in  the  West,  which  did  not 
pass.  My  business  detained  me  at  Washington  some  time  after 
the  adjournment  of  Congress.  I  thought  that,  in  order  to  pro 
mote  some  favourable  action  of  Government,  further  examina 
tions  of  the  country  ought  to  be  made  before  the  next  session, 
particularly  with  reference  to  a  judicious  location  of  the  tribes, 
and  a  small  reservation  for  the  seat  of  Government  of  the  con 
templated  territory,  on  which  the  officers  of  the  territory  and 
Indians  of  any  tribe  might  locate.  I  therefore  applied  to  the 
Secretary  of  War,  the  Honourable  John  H.  Eaton,  for  autho 
rity  to  make  a  brief  lour,  with  a  view  to  these  objects,  the  cost 
of  which  would  be  but  a  trifle.  He  appeared  well  disposed 
towards  the  plan,  but  said  he  had  no  funds  which  could  be  ap 
plied  to  that  object.  I  then  resolved  to  make  the  examination 
at  my  own  cost,  and  to  bring  the  subject  to  the  consideration  of 
the  Government  in  an  unofficial  manner.  This  design  was  car 
ried  out,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter. 

At  this  time,  J.  EvarJ;s,  Esq.,  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  a 
worthy  gentleman  and  Christian,  was  in  Washington.  I  was 
frequently  in  his  company,  but  was  grieved  to  discover  that,  in 
regard  to  colonizing  the  Indians  in  the  West,  his  views  and 
efforts  run  in  a  channel  opposite  to  mine.  The  opposition  of 
that  society  was  not  only  to  be  deprecated  on  account  of  the  delays 
of  the  action  of  Government,  which  their  influence  would  occa 
sion,  but  because  the  acting  members  of  our  board  of  missions, 
though  they  acted  with  dignified  independence,  were  not  a  little 
influenced  by  theirs.  This  was  natural,  because  both  societies 
were  in  the  same  neighbourhood,  and  both  were  in  a  country 
48 


378 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


where  they  heard  much  more  from  the  pen  and  the  press  against 
locating  the  Indians  in  the  West,  than  the  few  who  advocated 
the  measures  could  find  opportunity  to  say  in  its  favour,  and 
therefore  some  of  the  more  active  memhers  of  the  Baptist  board 
were  made  to  doubt  the  eligibility  of  the  plan.  The  board 
was  composed  of  thirty-two  members,  only  about  seven  or  nine 
of  whom  resided  so  near  the  ordinary  place  of  meeting  as  to 
attend.  These  acting  members  met  in  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
and  honestly  drank  so  deeply  the  spirit  of  opposition  to  the 
colonizing  plan,  that,  left  wholly  to  their  own  choice,  they  would 
have  done  nothing  in  favour  of  it.  But  with  a  majority  of  the 
members  more  remote,  different,  and,  as  the  missionaries  thought, 
more  consistent  views  of  the  subject  were  taken.  We  therefore 
kept  up  a  correspondence  with  these  distant  members,  whose 
wishes,  reaching  the  acting  members,  produced  decisions  in  ac 
cordance  with  what  were  supposed  to  be  the  views  of  a  large 
majority.  Among  those  who  exerted  a  favourable  influence  in 
this  respect,  none  was  more  conspicuous  than  the  Rev.  S.  H. 
Cone,  of  New-York,  to  whose  influence  and  zealous  action 
may  be  ascribed  much  that  the  board  did  in  favour  of  the  mea 
sure  under  consideration. 

In  a  Government  like  ours  it  will  always  happen  that  there 
will  be  political  parties  almost  equally  balanced  in  power  and  in 
influence — the  one  striving  to  gain  the  ascendancy,  and  the 
other  striving  to  retain  it.  The  ambition  and  excitement  of  the 
two  prominent  political  parties  had,  perhaps,  never  run  higher 
than  at  this  period,  and  very  much  to  the  disadvantage  of  In 
dian  matters.  The  subject  of  colonizing  the  Indians,  which 
necessarily  involved  their  removal,  was  seized  by  those  opposed 
to  the  administration,  as  a  matter  which  would  be  made  avail 
able  for  political  purposes.  The  propriety  of  securing  the 
tribes  in  the  possession  of  a  home  was  in  a  measure  overlooked, 
and  the  matter  merely  of  Indian  removal  was  harped  upon.  In 
this  branch  of  the  subject,  no  new  principle  or  practice  had 
been  introduced.  The  whites  had  always  controlled  the  In 
dians  and  Indian  affairs,  and  had  removed  them  whenever  they 
chose,  or  if  they  permitted  them  to  remain,  prescribed  the  condi 
tions  upon  which  they  were  allowed  the  liberty  of  doing  so. 
Many  of  the  States  had  got  rid  of  their  Indians,  and  all  claimed 
the  right  to  manage  them,  excepting  a  few  instances  in  the  south 
ern  and  western  States,  where  the  right  to  rule  them  was,  to 
some  extent,  conceded  to  the  General  Government.  The 
policy  which  Europeans  had  adopted  on  their  first  settlement 
in  this  country,  and  which  all  had  practised  up  to  the  time  of 


INDIAN     MISSIONS.-. 


379 


which  we  speak,  was  evidently  wrong — at  variance  with  na 
tional  honour  and  justice,  and  with  Christian  philanthropy,  and 
fraught  with  evils  under  which  the  tribes  had  constantly  wasted 
away.  Among  a  people  like  those  of  the  United  States,  it  was 
not  difficult  to  elicit  strong  sympathies  in  favour  of  the  Indians; 
and  the  policy  being  intrinsically  wrong,  multitudes  did  not  stop 
to  reflect  that  the  States  had  all  been  involved  alike  in  the 
same  error;  but  fixing  their  attention  upon  the  southern  tribes, 
the  Cherokees  especially,  exclaimed  against  the  cruelty  of  com 
pelling  them  to  remove  "  from  the  graves  of  their  fathers." 

The  Cherokees  in  the  South  were  more  civilized  and  more 
numerous  than  most  of  the  tribes  to  the  North,  and  on  this  ac 
count  they  felt  most  keenly  the  injurious  tendency  of  the  policy 
of  the  whites.  With  these  exceptions  in  regard  to  numbers, 
and  the  advances  made  in  civilization,  the  policy  bore  as  op 
pressively  upon  the  northern  tribes  as  upon  those  of  {he  South  ; 
and  in  years  gone  by,  both  before  and  since  the  constitution  of 
our  Government,  its  effects  had  been  equally  injurious  to  the  In 
dians  ;  but  it  happened  that  in  those  da)s  the  Indians  had  not  in 
telligence  and  opportunity  to  complain,  and  cause  .their  com 
plaints  to  be  heard.  In  years  past  other  States  had  been  as 
anxious  to  rid  themselves  of  the  inconvenience  of  Indian  popula 
tion  as  the  State  of  Georgia  and  some  others  now  were  to  get  rid 
of  theirs  ;  and  Georgia  was  not  easily  convinced  that  an  exception 
to  the  rule  universally  observed  by  others  should  be  made  to 
her  disadvantage.  At  the  same  time,  others,  no  longer  feeling 
the  necessity  of  removing  Indians,  complained  loudly  of  the 
cruelty  of  the  State  of  Georgia. 

The  two  preceding  administrations  of  Mr.  Monroe  and  Mr. 
Adams  had  been  consulted  by  the  Baptists,  on  the  propriety 
of  giving  to  the  tribes  a  permanent  home  in  the  West,  and  both 
had  been  understood  to  be  in  favour  of  the  measure,  though  at 
that  time  the  question  of  sovereignty  had  not  advanced  to  a 
crisis,  so  as  to  render  some  action  either  for  or  against  the 
measure  unavoidable.  This  was  reserved  for  the  administration 
of  GeneralJackson.  While  he  warmly  advocated  the  benevolent 
measure  of  giving  to  the  Indians  a  permanent  resting  place,  which 
the  generations  preceding  us  had  denied  them,  he  was  decidedly 
in  favour  of  allowing  to  the  southern  States  the  advantages  of 
the  policy  of  which  the  northern  States  had  previously  availed 
themselves.  He  was,  therefore,  both  by  the  necessity  of  the 
case  and  by  principle,  required  to  act  in  reference  to  the 
removal  of  the  Indians.  These  acts  were  represented  by  the 
opponents  of  the  administration  as  cruel,  and  the  sympathies 


330 


HISTORY   OF   BAPTISf 


of  thousands,  who  deserved  more  credit  for  the  piety  of  their 
hearts  than  for  the  information  of  their  heads,  petitioned  the 
Government  to  u  spare  the  Indians." 

In  these  well  meant  but  misguided  efforts  of  the  petitioners, 
the  northern  tribes  were  overlooked,  notwithstanding  their  suf 
ferings  from  the  policy  of  Government  were  at  that  time 
greater  to  each  individual  than  the  evils  that  had  then  come 
upon  the  southern  tribes.  I  have  no  knowledge  that  among  the 
hundreds  of  petitions  there  was  one  in  favour  of  any  except  the 
southern  tribes  ;  and  even  among  these,  the  Choctaws,  Chicka- 
saws,  and  Creeks,  were  almost  wholly  overlooked.  The  burden 
of  the  prayer  of  ten  thousand  voices  was,  Spare  the  Cherokees ! 
They  who  had  opportunity  and  inclination  to  view  the  subject 
on  all  sides,  could  not  but  perceive  that  this  partiality  for  the 
Cherokees  originated  in  motives  less  honourable  than  those  of 
philanthropy.*  They  who  worked  the  wires  stood  behind  the 
political  curtain,  and  adroitly  aggravated  opposition  to  the  ad 
ministration. 

The  northern  States  had  done  very  much  more  in  missionary 
matters,  both  in  regard  to  foreign  nations  and  the  aborigines  of 
America,  than  the  southern  and  western  States.  Being  en 
gaged  more  largely  in  works  of  benevolence,  the  sympathies  of 
the  North  were  more  easily  excited  than  in  the  South  and 
West;  and  as  a  large  portion  of  the  benevolence  necessary  to 
the  success  of  missions  belonged  to  the  North,  the  wrong'direc- 
tion  of  sympathy,  which  caused  it  to  run  in  an  improper  chan 
nel,  was  the  more  extensively  injurious  to  the  cause  of  Indian 
reform.  On  these  accounts,  the  tide  set  strongly  against  the 
measure  of  providing  a  permanent  home  for  the  Indians.  Past 
experience  showed,  too  plainly  to  be  denied,  that,  should  they 
remain  where  they  were,  they  would  inevitably  perish  ;  and  no 
good  reason  could  be  assigned  why  they  might  not  prosper,  if 
located  where  they  could  remain  undisturbed,  and  under  cir 
cumstances  that  would  allow  them  to  acquire  self-respect,  and 
a  knowledge  of  their  rights,  and  of  the  moral  means  of  sustain 
ing  them.  Still  the  cry  was,  "  Let  them  remain  where  they 
are."  A  few  reasoned  more  rationally,  and  contended  that  the 
matter  should  be  left  wholly  to  the  choice  of  the  Indians.  This 
seemed  plausible,  and  in  itself  was  right ;  but  those  persons 
either  did  not  understand,  or  had  not  fully  weighed  the  fact, 
that  in  these  cases  Indians  seldom  acted  for  themselves,  but  were 
generally  under  the  influence  of  persons  who  regarded  their  own 
interests  more  than  those  of  the  Indians. 

*  See  introductory  remarks,  pp.  38,  39. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


381 


Indian  affairs,  in  themselves,  constituted  a  subject  of  common 
interest  to  our  country,  on  which  there  was  no  necessity  for 
parties,  which  had  filed  off  upon  other  considerations,  to  divide. 
If  we  desired  to  do  the  Indians  good,  we  might  honestly  differ 
in  the  choice  of  means ;  but  we  would  naturally  suppose  that 
this  difference  of  opinion  respecting  measures  would  be  found 
in  both  parties.  But  it  so  happened  that  the  same  line  which 
divided  the  two  great  political  parties  in  the  nation  was  almost 
identically  the  same  that  divided  the  opinions  of  men  in  the 
matter  of  colonizing  the  Indians ;  that  is,  the  friends  of  the 
administration  were  almost  universally  in  favour  of  it,  and 
the  opponents  of  the  administration  were  almost  unanimously 
opposed  to  it. 

While  there  was  reason  to  lament  these  hinderances  to  a  work 
on  which,  perhaps,  depended  the  very  existence  of  the  Indians, 
they  seemed  at  the  same  time  to  operate  in  some  degree  as  a 
corrective  of  the  general  apathy  which  for  two  hundred  years 
had  prevailed  in  regard  to  this  suffering  race.  A  few,  from 
time  to  time,  had  prayed  and  laboured  for  their  relief;  but  ninety- 
nine  hundredths  of  our  citizens  neither  knew  nor  cared  what  was 
their  condition.  The  violent  agitation  of  the  subject  brought 
men  to  think,  to  learn  more  respecting  the  condition  of  the  In 
dians,  and  to  indulge  more  liberal  feelings  towards  them. 

Some  of  us  made  considerable  efforts  to  enlist  in  the  cause 
we  espoused  public  prints  which  had  a  wide  circulation ;  but 
some,  as  might  be  expected,  declined  publishing  any  thing  fa 
vourable  to  the  plan  of  removal.  Some  religious  periodicals  of 
the  Baptists  would  occasionally  furnish  notices  respecting  the 
colonizing  plan,  not  in  opposition  to  it,  but  with  studied  caution, 
as  if  they  were  afraid  they  were  treading  upon  enchanted  ground. 
Some  of  us,  however,  did  at  times  appear  before  the  public 
in  defence  of  the  scheme,  in  both  political  and  religious  prints, 
but  in  the  former,  commonly,  under  a  fictitious  name. 

I  left  Washington  on  the  4th  of  April,  and  proceeded  to  Bos 
ton,  to  confer  with  the  board  of  missions.  I  fully  believed  that 
both  the  political  and  the  religious  public  laboured  under  erro 
neous  views  on  the  subject  of  Indian  reform.  Most  of  the  advo 
cates  of  the  measures  dear  to  us  worked  as  if  they  were  in  the 
dark ;  the  religious  seemed  not  to  understand  Indian  character, 
and  the  true  causes  of  their  woes,  and  how  to  devise  and  zeal 
ously  execute  the  best  measures  of  relief. 

I  had  revised  the  pamphlet  which  I  had  published  in  1827, 
entitled  "  Remarks  on  the  Practicability  of  Indian  Reform," 
which  I  desired  to  republish  with  an  appendix.  These  were 


382 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


submitted  to  the  inspection  of  the  board,  with  a  request  that 
they  would  print  them.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  inspect 
the  work,  and  to  report  on  the  propriety  of  printing.  The  com 
mittee  reported  in  favour  of  reprinting  the  pamphlet,  hut  against 
publishing  the  appendix.  This  to  me  was  a  pretty  heavy 
stroke,  because  I  was  more  anxious  to  have  the  appendix  go 
before  the  public,  than  the  pamphlet.  The  most  formidable 
objection  to  the  appendix  appeared  to  be,  that  it  contained  some 
sentiments,  relative  to  the  management  of  missions,  not  in  strict 
accordance  with  those  of  the  board;  and  the  hope  of  correcting 
what  I  thought  to  be  erroneous  views  was  a  prominent  reason 
for  placing  the  work  before  the  public.  I  then  resolved  to  pub 
lish  the  work  at  my  own  expense,  if  I  could  possibly  obtain  the 
means.  My  own  large  family,  and  Mr.  Lykins  and  wife  and 
child,  were,  as  we  considered  it,*  on  the  way  to  the  West,  under 
circumstances  very  expensive.  Our  salaries  of  four  hundred 
dollars  a  year  each  from  Government,  on  account  of  our  con 
nection  with  the  missionary  stations  on  St.  Joseph's  and  Grand 
river,  were  given  to  Mr.  Simerwell,  Mr.  Meeker,  and  Mr.  Sla 
ter,  for  the  support  of  those  stations.  I  had  on  hand  a  few 
hundred  dollars,  above  what  1  had  expended,  of  my  earnings 
from  Government  on  account  of  services  on  the  late  tour  of 
exploration  ;  I  therefore  had  the  pamphlet  reprinted,  with  the 
appendix,  which  I  distributed  gratuitously,  again  furnishing  each 
member  of  Congress  with  a  copy.  I  could  not  remain  to  attend 
to  the  printing  myself,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cone  had  the  good 
ness  to  superintend  its  publication  in  the  city  of  New- York. 

Between  the  29th  of  April  and  the  7th  of  May,  the  General 
Triennial  Missionary  Convention  was  in  session  in  Philadelphia. 
Iwas  grieved  to  discover  that  while  zealous  and  well  devised 
efforts,  honourable  to  both  the  heads  and  the  hearts  of  the  mem 
bers  of  the  General  Convention,  were  put  forth  in  favour  of 
foreign  lands,  our  own -was  almost  wholly  overlooked.  During 
the  session,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  report  on  missions 
generally,  and  on  the  best  measures  for  promoting  them,  &ic. 
In  this  report,  as  first  made,  Indian  stations  were  wholly  omitted. 
Of  this  1  complained,  and  it  was  corrected.  T  complained,  also, 
that,  a  year  before  that  time,  the  board  had  sent  to  the  world  an 
address  on  missions,  in  which  a  similar  though  not  an  equal  de 
linquency  was  manifest  in  regard  to  Indian  stations.  The  fact 
was,  so  much  noise  was  made  in  the  country  about  the  cruelty 
of  removing  the  Cherokees,  and  such  mistaken  views  were 
formed  of  the  true  state  of  Indian  affairs,  that  many  good  men 
seemed  almost  to  despair  of  the  success  of  missionary  efforts 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


383 


among  them.  They  seemed  to  be  settling  down  in  the  opinion 
which  had  too  widely  prevailed,  from  the  time  of  our  first  settle 
ment  in  America,  that  the  aborigines  were  destined  to  become 
extinct,  and,  therefore,  works  of  benevolence  had  belter  be 
directed  to  places  in  which  success  might  be  hoped  for.  The 
Rev.  W.  T.  Brantley,  D.  D. — than  whom  none  was  more  justly 
esteemed  for  talents  and  piety,  and  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Convention,  and  who  was  at  that  time  editor  of  a  respectable 
religious  periodical — said  to  me  that  there  were  so  many  ap 
palling  circumstances  connected  with  the  business  of  Indian 
improvement,  that  he  had  a  thought  of  introducing  into  the 
Convention  a  resolution,  declaring  the  belief  that  their  reforma 
tion  was  impracticable.  I  complained  that  Indian  missions  had 
not  been  well  supported  ;  that  there  appeared  to  be  less  zeal  in 
favour  of  the  conversion  of  the  aborigines  at  this  time,  than  a 
few  years  before,  and  that  their  missionaries  were  too  few  in 
number,  and  were  labouring  under  very  many  disadvantages, 
which  might  be  diminished  by  greater  attention  on  the  part  of  a 
Christian  public.  If  the  Indians  were  to  perish,  as  many  sup 
posed,  the  missionaries  desired  to  remain  with  them  to  the  last. 
They  had  placed  themselves  under  the  patronage  of  the  Con 
vention,  in  order  to  obtain  assistance  in  carrying  forward  their 
designs  of  benefiting  that  almost  friendless  race ;  and  if  this 
assistance  could  not  be  obtained,  the  connection  was  unnecessary 
and  undesirable.  In  private  conversation,  I  suggested  to  many 
members  of  the  board  the  propriety  of  dissolving  the  connection 
between  it  and  the  missionaries,  and  of  throwing  the  latter  upon 
their  own  resources.*  I  knew,  indeed,  that  in  order  to  secure 
public  attention  and  public  confidence,  it  was  necessary  for  us  to 
be  under  the  wing  of  some  benevolent  society;  and  this  was 
also  necessary,  in  order  to  secure  the  patronage  of  Government 
for  a  missionary  station.  According  to  a  judicious  Government 
regulation,  individuals  would  not  be  recognised  as  justly  entitled 
to  Government  allowances  for  Indian  civilization;  but  it  was 
thought  that  the  amount  of  business  relating  to  foreign  missions 
was  as  much  as  the  existing  board  ought  to  be  expected  to  give 
attention  to,  and  that  a  board  could  be  formed,  the  appropriate 
business  of  which  would  be  the  promotion  of  Indian  missions. 
In  these  propositions  no  reflections  were  cast  upon  the  existing 
board;  in  regard  to  talents  and  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God  and 
the  welfare  of  heathen  men,  they  were  second  to  none.  There 
were  reasons  why  they  should  feel  a  deeper  interest  in  foreign 
missions  than  in  domestic,  and  these  reasons  were  weighty  and 
many ;  but  those  who  were  favourable  to  the  formation  of  an 


384 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


Indian  board  discovered  that  men  of  the  proper  type  could  not 
be  found  within  a  convenient  distance  of  any  one  point.  The 
deficiency  which  obstructed  the  selection  was  not  the  want  of 
talents,  piety,  or  Christian  zeal  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel, 
but  the  discouragements  and  consequent  apathy  which  sur 
rounded  the  subject  of  Indian  reform.  There  was  a  want  of 
agents  to  bring  the  subject  more  fully  to  public  notice.  In 
benevolent  orations,  in  printed  circulars,  and  in  the  deliberations 
of  the  board,  the  subject  of  Indian  missions  was  thrown  into  the 
back-ground — it  had  not  been  allowed  a  prominent  place,  and 
the  public  knew  comparatively  little  about  it.  As  evidence  of 
the  want  of  zeal  in  this  department,  the  Convention  was  re 
minded  that  no  charity  funds  had  been  applied  to  the  support 
of  the  two  stations  to  which  I  was  particularly  attached  for  five 
years,  except  a  small  amount  contributed  specially  for  the  bene 
fit  of  those  stations  by  individuals  or  societies. 

A  series  of  resolutions  was  submitted  to  the  consideration  of 
the  board,  relative  to  future  operations,  the  more  important  of 
which  were  adopted — certainly  more  in  compliance  with  my 
wishes  than  in  accordance  with  those  of  the  acting  members  of 
that  body.  Among  these  resolutions  were  the  following: 

"  Resolved,  That  in  order  to  facilitate  the  designs  of  this 
board,  relative  to  the  collocation  of  the  Indians  on  suitable  lands 
in  the  West,  our  missionaries,  the  Rev.  I.  McCoy  and  Mr.  J. 
Lykins,  be  instructed  to  repair  to  the  regions  west  of  the  State 
of  Missouri  and  Territory  of  Arkansas,  or  as  near  thereto  as 
circumstances  will  permit,  and  that  they  procure  and  submit  to 
this  board  information  respecting  the  country,  and  the  circum 
stances  connected  therewith,  as  their  opportunities  will  allow; 
and  while  they  select  and  report,  for  the  decision  of  this  board, 
a  suitable  cite  for  the  location  of  the  mission,  when  necessity 
shall  compel  us  to  relinquish  the  ground  we  now  occupy  in  the 
regions  of  the  lakes,  they  are  required,  in  all  the  measures  they 
may  propose  to  the  board,  to  keep  steadily  in  view  its  designs 
relative  to  future  operations. 

"  Resolved,  That  Mr.  McCoy  and  Mr.  Lykins  are  permitted 
to  accept  of. any  appointments  from  the  Government,  and  to 
avail  themselves  of  other  facilities  which  may  be  compatible 
with  the  character  and  designs  of  the  mission. 

"  Resolved,  That  should  their  wants  actually  require  it,  they 
will  be  at  liberty  to  draw  on  the  board  for  a  sum  not  exceeding 
one  thousand  dollars,  during  the  year  ending  March  31,  1830." 

Government  made  an  annual  appropriation  of  $10,000  for 
the  improvement  of  the  condition  of  the  Indians.  This  sum 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


385 


was  divided  among  the  various  religious  denominations  which 
had  missions  or  schools  for  the  benefit  of  the  tribes.  At  first, 
the  apportionment  for  each  station  was  made  by  the  Depart 
ment  of  Indian  Affairs.  But  at  the  time  of  which  we  speak, 
the  money  was  distributed  to  the  different  societies  in  charge  of 
the  missions,  and  each  authorized  to  apply  its  allowance  at  its 
own  discretion.  The  appropriation,  therefore,  of  one  thousand 
dollars  by  the  board,  as  above  stated,  trenched  upon  no  cha 
rity  funds  which  could  be  applied  to  any  other  object  than 
missions  among  the  Indians. 

At  this  meeting  of  the  convention  and  its  board  of  managers 
we  were  much  gratified  with  the  correct  views  and  efficient 
efforts  of  the  Rev.  John  L.  Dagg  and  Rev.  S.  H.  Cone.  The 
Rev.  Lucius  Bolles,  D.  D.,  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
board,  and  Hernan  Lincoln,  Esq.,  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  accompany  me  to  Washington,  for  the  purpose  of  presenting 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States  the  following  petition  : 

"Washington,  May  9,  1829. 

"Sia:  By  treaties  with  the  Osage  and  Kauzau  tribes  of 
Indians,  lands  have  been  reserved  for  education  purposes,  to  be 
applied  under  the  direction  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  The  Baptist  Convention  for  the  United  States  have 
authorized  me  to  inform  you,  that  in  the  application  of  those 
lands  to  their  object,  they  would  be  glad  to  be  honoured  with 
the  trust. 

"  Their  views  relative  to  the  collocation  of  the  tribes  west  of 
the  State  of  Missouri  and  Territory  of  Arkansas  perfectly  agree 
with  those  of  the  Government,  an  expression  of  which  they 
made  to  Congress,  in  a  memorial,  in  1827-'8.  Mr.  McCoy, 
who  accompanied  the  late  exploring  expedition,  has,  in  con 
junction  with  another  agent,  been  appointed  by  them  to  revisit 
that  country,  to  select  a  suitable  situation  for  the  settlement  of 
the  fruit  of  their  schools,  and  for  education  establishments,  and 
to  procure  such  information  relative  to  the  country  as  may  be 
of  service  to  the  next  Congress. 

"  They  beg  leave  respectfully  to  submit  to  your  consideration 
the  propriety  of  establishing  within  the  Indian  territory,  so  railed. 
a  superintendency  that  may  tend  to  the  judicious  location  of 
the  tribes  which  may  be  settled  there. 

"  They  would  further  suggest,  with  due  respect,  the  proba 
bility  that,  should  an  expedition  be  sent  the  next  spring  to  the 
Camanches,  and  others  in  the  West  at  present  at  war  with  the 
Osages,  menacing  to  emigrating  Indians,  and  mischievous  on 
the  Santa  Fe  road,  they  would  be  rendered  peaceable, 
49 


386 


HISTORY   OF   BAPTIST 


"  For  reasons  for  the  above  suggestions  relative  to  a  superin- 
tendency,  and  to  the  expedition,  they  would  respectfully  refer 
to  pages  19,  20,  21,  and  22,  of  the  report  to  the  Secretary  of 
War,  of  Mr.  McCoy,  herewith  submitted. 

'•  With  the  highest  respect,  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  Lucius  BOLLES,  Cor.  Sec'y* 

<l  Andrew  Jackson,  President  of  the  United  States." 

I  left  Washington  on  the  llth  of  May,  1829,  and  reached 
rny  family  on  the  18th  ;  having  been  allowed  to  spend  only 
seventeen  days  with  them  within  the  preceding  ten  and  a  half 
months.  Mr.  Lykins  had  returned  to  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
from  the  missionary  stations  in  Michigan,  and  was  awaiting  my 
arrival,  in  readiness  to  proceed  to  the  West  with  our  families. 

God  often  frustrates  our  plans,  and  disappoints  our  hopes,  to 
teach  us  our  littleness,  and  that  He  is  sovereign.  When  the 
missions  were  in  their  incipient  stages,  efforts  were  made,  and 
in  many  instances  with  success,  to  provide  openings  for  the  en 
largement  of  operations,  under  a  supposition  that  missionaries 
would  not  be  wanting;  in  most  instances,  these  hopes  were  dis 
appointed.  Efforts  were  also  made  to  qualify  Indians  for  mis 
sionary  labours,  and  the  children  of  missionaries  were  educated 
with  a  view  to  their  usefulness  in  the  same  field,  should  God 
sanctify  and  rightly  dispose  them.  Several  deeply  affecting 
instances  in  our  own  families,  and  the  miseries  of  the  people 
around  us,  had  made  us  to  feel  keenly  the  want  of  medical  aid. 
With  a  view  to  future  usefulness  in  this  department,  two  of  my 
sons  studied  medicine  in  the  Transylvania  University,  in  Lex 
ington,  Kentucky  ;  but,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter,  our  hopes  of 
help  from  them  were  disappointed  by  their  deaths. 

They  had  graduated  a  few  days  before  my  arrival  at  home, 
and  three  days  afterwards  the  elder  proceeded  to  Missouri,  to 
procure  a  resting  place  for  us  on  our  arrival.  On  the  1st  of 
June,  1829,  Mr.  Lykins  and  I  followed  with  our  families,  ac 
companied  by  my  second  son.  We  left  Lexington  with  grate 
ful  recollections  of  the  attentions  of  many  worthy  friends,  among 
whom  Dr.  William  H.  Richardson  and  lady,  and  Dr.  Best  and 
lady,  were  prominent.  Under  her  years  of  toil  and  anxiety  in 
the  wilderness,  Mrs.  McCoy's  health  had  become  such  as  to 
make  a  few  months'  rest  necessary;  and  this  was  a  reason  for 
quitting  Carey  at  the  time  she  did.  She  was  now  going  to  the 
far  West,  with  improved  health  and  spirits. 

Near  the  western  line  of  the  State  of  Indiana  we  left  our 
families,  while  Mr.  Lykins  and  1,  on  the  19th  of  June,  set  off 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


387 


to  visit  our  missionary  stations  in  Michigan,  in  order  to  aid  in 
placing  matters  in  a  situation  as  favourable  as  possible,  when 
they  should  be  left  solely  under  the  management  of  cur  breth 
ren  Simerwell,  Meeker,  and  Slater. 

After  three  or  four  nights,  on  which  we  had  encamped  under 
disagreeable  circumstances,  we  reached  Carey  on  the  26th  of 
June.  Here  we  found  the  faithful  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simerwell, 
whose  unostentatious  manner  evinced  that  they  worked  for  God, 
and  expected  to  receive  their  pay  in  heaven,  patiently  prosecut 
ing  their  labour  of  love  for  the  salvation  of  the  almost  friendless 
natives.  Indian  acquaintances  flocked  to  see  us,  and  our  mu 
tual  satisfaction  seemed  to  be  interrupted  only  by  the  reflection 
that  we  soon  must  part. 

Operations  at  the  station  had  been  narrowed,  but  not  more 
than  might  reasonably  have  been  expected.  On  the  10th  of 
July  there  were  actually  on  the  mission  premises  thirty-seven 
Indian  youths,  well  managed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simerwell.  Ne 
cessity  compelled  them  to  employ  a  teacher  in  the  school. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that,  in  years  following  the  period 
of  which  we  speak,  the  zeal  and  self-denial  of  missionaries  have 
greatly  relaxed.  Now,  boarding  schools,  in  many  instances, 
cannot  be  sustained,  because  of  the  labour  and  anxiety  they 
would  occasion  to  the  missionaries.  Notwithstanding,  in  some 
cases,  a  missionary,  by  keeping  a  school  of  a  dozen  scholars, 
boarded  with  him,  would  secure  a  congregation  of  five  to  one 
to  hear  him  preach,  he  cannot  encounter  the  privation,  and 
pleads  that  preaching  is  his  appropriate  business.  The  man 
agement  of  three  or  four  children  of  their  own  is  as  much  as  one 
pair  of  missionaries  can  undertake.  But  in  those  days,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Simerwell,  with  two  or  three  children  of  their  own,  could 
take  the  trouble  of  feeding,  clothing,  lodging,  and  teaching,  thir 
ty-seven  Indian  children,  besides  such  as  were  occasionally  ab 
sent,  making  the  whole  number  in  their  charge  between  forty 
and  fifty ;  and  this  was  a  labour  only  similar  to  what  others  had 
performed  before. 

Still,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mission,  there  were  not  wanting 
men  so  wicked  as  to  seek,  by  calumny,  to  rob  the  missionaries  of 
the  honour  to  which  their  self-denial  entitled  them.  A  man 
living,  at  that  time,  less  than  two  miles  from  Carey,  had  pub 
lished  an  anonymous  communication  in  an  obscure  newspa 
per  printed  on  the  frontiers  of  Indiana,  designed  to  injure  the 
missionaries.  The  libel  carried  on  its  face  the  evidence  of  its 
falsehood,  and  was  badly  written,  and  on  these  accounts  we 
deemed  it  unworthy  of  notice.  But  Mr.  Simerwell  had  inad- 


388 


HISTORY  0V  BAPTIST 


vertently  promised  some  friends  in  the  vicinity  of  the  press  at 
which  the  print  issued,  that  it  should  be  answered,  and  the 
matter  had  been  postponed  until  this  time.  We  now  regretted 
exceedingly  that  Mr.  Sirnerwell  had  given  such  a  pledge,  as, 
without  it,  we  thought  we  ought  not  to  stoop  so  low  as  to  give 
it  a  formal  printed  notice. 

Mr.  Lykins  and  I  took  the  printed  libel  in  our  hand,  and  went 
to  see  the  author,  read  the  piece,  and  remonstrated  against   it, 
stating  its  inaccuracies,  &tc.,  and  insisting  that,  as  charity  would 
suggest  a  hope  that  he  could  not  be  guilty  of  such  an  unwar 
rantable  attack  upon  well  earned  reputation,  without  his  having 
been  misinformed,  we  now  placed  within  his  reach  unquestion 
able  evidence  that  he  had  done  us  injustice,  and  we  considered 
him  bound  by  the  honour  of  a  gentleman  to  correct  the  errors 
into  which  he  had  been  led.     The  man  seemed  to  be  much 
mortified,  and  a  few  days  afterwards,  agreeably  to  promise,  for 
warded  us  a  communication  on  the  subject,  so  far  qualifying  the 
piece  which  had  appeared  in  print,  that  nothing  more  remained 
necessary  for  us  to  say  to  the  public,  than  to  state  a  few  facts 
relative  to  the  manner  in  which  we  managed  our  missionary 
matters.     This  statement  was  prepared  and  sent  to  the  man, 
that  he  might  see  what  we  had  prepared  for  the  public  before 
it  went  to  press.     He  was  so  much  gratified  with  this  ingenu 
ous  and   forbearing  course,  that  he  returned  in  writing  many 
thanks  and  expressions  of  good  wishes  for  our  prosperity,  &c. 
We  believe  that  the  self-denial  and  disinterestedness  of  faithful 
missionaries  to  the  Indians  have  never  failed  to  excite  envy, 
more  or  less,  among  white  neighbours,  when  it  has  been  their 
misfortune  to  have  them  near.     There  are  thousands  of  men 
who  appear  to  be  utter  strangers  to  disinterested  benevolence  ; 
always  under  the  influence  of  selfish  motives  themselves,  they 
ascribe  to  others  similar  motives.     Then,  again,  the  hatred  of  a 
corrupt  heart  is  provoked  by  the  better  conduct  of  another,  es 
pecially  under  circumstances  which  exhibit  clearly  the  contrast; 
and,  further,  they  who  live  near  the  Indians  generally  feel  little, 
if  any,  sympathy  for  them.     It  cannot  be  expected  that  they 
who  employ  all  their  time  and  all  their  lives  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Indians,  without  the  slightest   pecuniary  reward,  and   the 
class  which  has  little  or  no  sympathy  for  these  people,  and  in 
many  instances  study  to  defraud  them  of  the  little  they  possess, 
will  feel  cordial  friendship  towards  each  other.     The  missionary 
stands  aloof,  as  far  as  possible,  from  all  the  perplexing  cares  of 
trade,  and  the  bustle  of  the  world  in  common  life.     Feeling  that 
he  has  but  one  object  in  view,  he  is  resolved,  let  others  do  as  they 


INDIAN*    MISSIONS. 


389 


may,  no*  to  lose  sight  of  that,  but  to  apply  all  his  strength,  both  of 
mind  and  body,  in  promotion  of  that  object.  It  may  be  said 
that,  in  a  sense,  he  does  all  his  work  upon  his  knees  ;  and  espe 
cially  when  he  is  calumniated  he  appeals  to  his  God,  who  knows 
him  altogether,  and  pleads  with  Him  for  defence  from  the 
wicked,  who  would  swallow  him  up.  It  is  a  saying  with  them, 
"  that  a  faithful  missionary  never  fails  to  do  good;"  and  with 
equal  confidence  it  maybe  asserted,  that  God  never  permits  the 
tongue  of  slander  to  injure  the  missionary  who  appeals  to  him 
for  protection. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Baptisms.  Condition  of  Thomas  station.  Tour  of  explora 
tion.  Sickness.  Journey  to  Washington.  Memorial  of 
the  Board  of  Missions  to  Congress.  Other  memorials  for 
and  against  colonization.  Stage  accident.  Proffered  resig 
nation  of  missionaries.  Passage  of  the  memorable  act  of 
Congress,  known  as  "  the  law  of  1830."  Selection  of  In 
dian  reservations.  Sickness  and  death  of  Dr.  J.  McCoy. 
Discontinuance  of  the  Carey  station.  Surveying  expedi 
tion.  Origin  of  mission  among  the  Shawanoes.  Origin 
of  missions  to  Otoes,  and  Omahas.  Councils  with  Kau- 
zaus,  Shawanoes,  and  Pawnees.  First  request  of  an  In 
dian  tribe  for  a  land  patent.  Ancient  tumuli.  Clouds  of 
dust.  Natural  curiosity. 

Our  satisfaction  on  visiting  Carey  was  greatly  enhanced  by 
the  circumstance  of  two  converts  being  in  waiting  to  receive 
baptism.  These  were  two  young  white  men  who  had  been  em 
ployed  as  labourers  at  the  station.  They  were  baptized  on  the 
28th  of  June,  in  presence  of  many  Indians,  who  attended  the 
religious  exercises  of  the  day.  One  of  the  persons  baptized, 
Daniel  French,  proposed  to  become  a  missionary — a  design 
which  Mr.  Simerwell  had  encouraged.  He  had,  some  time  be 
fore,  declined  labouring  for  wages,  and  had  interested  himself  in 
missionary  matters,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  Mr.  Simerwell. 

The  white  settlers  in  the  vicinity  had  by  this  time  become 
pretty  numerous.  Some  of  them,  who  wished  the  Indians  to 
remain  in  that  country  as  long  as  they  had  a  dollar  to  lay  out 
for  whiskey,  supposing  that  the  circumstances  attending  our 
arrival  would  make  an  impression  on  the  minds  of  the  Indians 


390 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


favourable  to  removal,  endeavoured  to  prevent  as  many  as  pos 
sible  from  calling  to  see  us.  The  29th  of  June  had  been  ap 
pointed  for  a  general  meeting,  for  the  purpose  of  shaking  hands, 
and  mutually  telling  the  news,  according  to  custom,  after  an 
absence  of  some  time.  At  this  time,  intoxicating  drink  was 
offered  to  many;  and  when  they  objected  that  they  must  not 
drink,  on  account  of  the  meeting  which  they  desired  to  attend, 
they  were  furnished  with  a  quantity  of  cider,  which  they  were 
told  they  might  drink  without  fear  of  intoxication  ;  but  it  ap 
peared  that  whiskey  had  been  mixed  with  it,  and  they  became 
intoxicated  unawares. 

From  Carey  we  proceeded  to  Thomas,  (one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles,)  at  which  we  arrived  July  2d,  1829.  On  the  way 
we  fell  in  with  our  friend  Gosa,  coming  to  meet  us,  who  turned 
back  with  us.  He  entreated  us  to  allow  him  to  accompany  us 
to  the  West,  to  which  we  at  length  consented  ;  fordoing  which, 
our  principal  reason  was,  that  we  might  improve  our  knowledge 
of  his  language. 

A  short  time  before  this,  a  Miss  Thompson  had  united  with 
this  station,  under  an  appointment  from  the  board  of  missions. 
She  was  now  present,  but  not  long  after  retired  from  missionary 
labours.  Mr.  Meeker  was  absent  on  personal  business  in  the 
State  of  Ohio,  and  the  establishment  was  under  the  manage 
ment  of  Mr.  Slater.  The  condition  of  the  station  was  at  this 
time  such  as  to  occasion  grief.  The  school  was  discontinued. 
Only  two  Indian  children  were  at  the  establishment,  one  of 
whom  was  the  little  exile  we  had  found  in  Missouri,  in  1828, 
who  was  carried  home  by  her  cousin;  A  farm  had  been  pre 
pared,  nearly  sufficient  to  yield  bread  stuff  for  the  support  of  the 
mission  ;  most  of  this  was  uncultivated,  and  the  whole  establish 
ment  appeared  in  a  state  of  dilapidation. 

Formerly  the  missionaries,  in  some  things,  formed  views  of  ex 
pediency  in  management  different  from  those  of  the  board,  and, 
excepting  in  matters  of  not  much  importance,  the  former  claimed 
the  right  to  exercise  their  own  judgment,  provided  it  should  not 
be  done  at  the  responsibility  or  cost  of  the  latter.  Being  more 
deeply  interested  in  the  success  of  their  labours  than  others  at  a 
distance  could  be,  and  being  on  the  ground  in  actual  view  of  cir 
cumstances,  there  seemed  nothing  improper  in  this  assumption. 
The  board  yielded  to  this  course,  but  with  less  satisfaction  than 
if  the  views  of  the  parties  had  harmonized  as  well  as  their  acts. 
Mr.  Slater,  from  his  first  arrival  at  the  mission,  appeared  to  pos 
sess  views  similar  to  those  of  the  board. 

When  I  was  about  starting  on  my  tour  of  exploration,  in 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


391 


18*28,  by  free  conference  among  the  missionaries,  all  matters 
were  adjusted  at  both  stations  in  a  manner  which  it  was  hoped 
would  work  well.  It  was  thought  that  each  understood  his  ap 
propriate  business,  and  of  kind  feeling  towards  each  other  there 
was  no  doubt.  By  that  arrangement,  Mr.  Meeker  was  left  in 
charge  of  affairs  at  Thomas,  though  for  their  good  management 
of  that  station,  Mr.  Lykins,  by  virtue  of  his  commission,  was 
accountable  to  the  Government.  Mr.  L.  was  to  manage  mat 
ters  at  Carey  while  he  remained.  This  arrangement,  Mr.  Slater 
afterwards  thought  was  not  the  best  that  could  be  made,  and 
preferred  that  he  and  Mr.  Meeker  should  manage  affairs  jointly. 
He  visited  the  board,  and  it  granted  him  his  request,  without 
reflecting,  no  doubt,  on  the  accountability  of  Mr.  Lykins. 

Thus  Mr.  Slater,  in  our  absence,  was  afforded  an  opportunity 
of  managing  according  to  his  own  judgment.  His  visit  to  Bos 
ton,  and  subsequent  correspondence  with  the  board,  resulted  in 
new  modelling  the  affairs  of  the  station  in  many  important 
points,  and  doubtless  not  for  the  better. 

This  station  having  been  brought  into  existence,  and  sustained 
up  to  the  time  of  our  leaving,  by  the  missionaries,  without  cost 
to  the  board,  and  with  much  labour  and  privation,  we  thought  the 
board  had  acted  without  due  reflection  in  new-modelling  it  with 
out  consulting,  and  in  the  absence  of  those  who  could  not  but 
feel  a  deep  interest  in  its  success.  We  had  seen  the  station 
prosperously  rising  above  a  protracted  series  of  appalling  diffi 
culties  and  discouragements,  and  it  now  gave  us  much  pain  to 
see  it  retrograding.  Still  it  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  discover 
that  the  amount  of  religious  instruction  imparted  to  the  natives 
was  not  diminished.  We  should  have  been  willing  to  have  re 
sumed  our  labours  there,  had  it  not  been  for  the  duties  which 
called  us  to  another  country,  in  language  too  imperative  to  be 
disregarded.  Our  faces  were  directed  to  a  field  which  we  be 
lieved  had  been  too  long  neglected,  and  we  could  do  no  more 
than  pray  the  Lord  to  take  care  of  his  own  cause,  and  not  allow 
all  to  be  pulled  down  which  had  cost  so  much  labour  to  build 
up. 

From  Thomas,  Mr.  Lykins,  accompanied  by  our  candidate 
for  missionary  labour,  Mr.  French,  went  on  to  Detroit  (nearly 
two  hundred  miles)  to  attend  to  some  of  our  missionary  matters, 
and  afterwards  joined  me  at  Carey.  Gosa  accompanied  me  from 
Thomas,  and  brought  with  him  two  children  of  his  relations, 
Ottawas,  to  leave  in  charge  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sirnerwell.  Other 
Ottawas  desired  to  send  children  to  Carey,  but  we  dissuaded 
them  from  it,  fearing  that  that  station  might  be  over  burdened. 


392  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

On  the  8th  of  July,  Mr.  Meeker  stopped  at  Carey,  on  his 
way  from  the  State  of  Ohio  to  Thomas.  He  was  not  a  little 
discouraged  on  account  of  the  obstacles  to  their  labours  there, 
but  we  endeavoured  to  encourage  him  to  hope  that  he  would  out 
live  them. 

Four  male  missionaries  being  present  at  Carey,  soon  to  be 
widely  separated,  we  embraced  the  opportunity  of  a  consulta 
tion  in  reference  to  the  future.  A  retrospect  of  the  past  re 
minded  us  of  the  means  by  which  our  missions  had  been  origi 
nated  and  supported,  and  taught  us  that  in  future,  while  we  would 
avail  ourselves  of  all  the  assistance  possible,  from  the  counsel, 
instruction,  and  patronage  of  the  board,  the  responsibility  de 
volved  upon  us  to  press  forward  in  such  measures  as  we  believed 
would  be  most  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians  and  the  glory  of 
God.  We  would  not,  without  orders,  undertake  any  thing  at  the 
cost  of  the  board,  but  having  only  a  piece  of  a  short  life  remain 
ing,  and  in  view  of  our  awful  accountability,  while  we  would 
endeavour  to  learn  wisdom  from  others,  we  would  prosecute  in 
concert  the  course  which  to  us  seemed  right. 

From  the  commencement  of  our  labours  among  the  Indians, 
we  had  often  reiterated  our  entreaties  that  the  board  would  send 
an  agent  to  our  station,  to  see  us  at  home  and  inspect  our  affairs, 
and  to  form  some  acquaintance  with  the  character  and  condition 
of  the  people  of  our  charge.  We  supposed  that  they  would 
acquire  more  useful  information  in  the  management  of  their  In 
dian  missions,  by  a  week's  personal  observation,  than  by  a  year's 
correspondence ;  and  by  this  means  our  views  might  be  more 
fully  harmonized.  The  propriety  of  a  visit  from  a  member  of 
the  board  was  particularly  pressed  at  our  last  interview,  and  we 
had  been  taught  to  hope  that  at  this  time  we  should  have  met 
such  an  agent  at  Carey;  but  we  were  disappointed,  and,  except 
ing  a  station  among  the  Cherokees,  none  has  yet  visited  our 
Indian  missions. 

We  left  Carey  to  return  to  our  families,  July  10,  with  Gosa 
in  company.  It  was  a  time  when  rains  had  so  swollen  the  small 
watercourses  in  the  wilderness,  that  they  were  difficult  to  cross. 
At  one  time  we  carried  our  baggage  over  a  creek  on  a  fallen 
tree,  and  made  our  horses  swim  through.  At  other  places,  with 
very  miry  bottom,  so  much  water  was  running,  that  the  less  in 
convenient  method  of  crossing  was  to  dismount  and  wade 
through,  leading  or  driving  our  horses,  which  often  got  through 
with  great  difficulty,  after  their  loads  had  thus  been  lightened. 

Having  rejoined  our  families,  we  again  took  up  the  line  of 
march  for  the  West,  on  the  27th  of  July,  1829.  On  the  30th, 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


393 


my  son,  Josephus,  was  attacked  with  fever,  and  could  not  pro 
ceed.  On  the  1st  of  August  our  youngest  child  was  to  human 
appearance  brought  near  to  death  by  cholera  rnorbus.  Our 
eldest  son,  who  had  gone  in  advance  for  the  purpose,  had  pro 
cured  a  temporary  residence  for  us  in  the  town  of  Fayette,  Mis 
souri,  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles  west  of  St.  Louis.  This 
place  we  reached  on  the  8th  of  August.  In  the  fore  part  of 
September  we  received  information  from  Mr.  Simerwell,  that 
mischievous  persons  were  again  endeavouring  to  remove  the 
smithery  from  Carey,  by  which  measure  they  designed  to  em 
barrass  his  operations.  I  wrote  Governour  Cass  without  delay 
on  the  subject.  About  the  same  time  I  forwarded  for  publica 
tion  in  prints  in  Kentucky,  Washington,  New-York,  and  Bos 
ton,  communications  on  the  subject  of  our  Indian  relations, 
their  settlement  in  the  West,  &c. 

On  the  17th  of  September  I  set  off  on  a  tour  of  exploration, 
which  had  for  some  time  been  contemplated,  to  meet  the  ex 
pense  of  which  an  unsuccessful  application  had  been  made  to 
the  Secretary  of  War.  This  1  undertook  at  my  own  expense. 
The  company  consisted  of  Gosa,  one  hired  white  man,  and  my 
second  son,  who  had  only  so  far  recovered  from  a  second  attack 
of  fever  as  to  be  able  to  ride  on  horseback.  Mr.  Lykins  and 
our  youngest  child  were  at  this  time  very  sick. 

The  objects  of  this  tour  were  to  acquire  a  more  definite  know 
ledge  of  a  portion  of  the  Indian  territory,  which  information 
might  be  used  at  the  next  session  of  Congress  for  promoting 
some  proper  action  in  reference  to  the  permanent  location  of  the 
Indians ;  and  more  particularly  to  be  able  to  name  a  suitable 
region  in  which  to  locate  the  seat  of  government  for  life  proposed 
territory.  It  seemed  necessary  thus  early  to  keep  this  matter 
before  the  Government,  lest  the  lands  in  the  most  suitable  place 
should  be  ceded  to  some  one  particular  tribe. 

On  the  23d  of  September  we  reached  the  Kauzau  villages. 
Here  we  desired  to  increase  our  number ;  and  in  order  to  avail 
ourselves  of  the  company  of  General  M.  G.  Clark,  United 
States'  Indian  agent  for  the  Kauzaus,  my  son  assisted  him  seve 
ral  days  in  completing  writing  he  had  on  hand.  We  left  the 
agency  on  the  29th,  having  added  to  our  company  General 
Clark,  White  Plume,  who  was  the  principal  Kauzau  chief,  and 
Plume's  son-in-law  Gunville,  a  Frenchman,  who,  though  he 
could  speak  very  little  English,  was  our  only  interpreter.  Plume 
neither  spoke  nor  understood  English.  We  were  in  all  seven 
persons. 

On  the  third  day  after  we  left  the  Kauzau  agency,  Gosa  and 
50 


894 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


Gunville  went  in  advance  to  hunt.  A  few  hours  after  we  saw 
Gosa  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  on  the  prairie,  and  a 
man  on  horseback  making  towards  him,  unperceived,  as  it 
appeared,  by  Gosa.  I  inquired  of  Plume,  by  signs,  if  the  man 
we  saw  was  Gunville,  he,  by  a  similar  method,  answered  in  the 
negative,  and  said  Gunville  had  gone  in  a  different  direction, 
and  moreover  he  had  rode  a  grey  horse,  whereas  this  man  ap 
peared  to  be  riding  a  dark  coloured  horse.  We  then  feared  that 
it  was  one  of  a  hostile  party  creeping  upon  Gosa  with  some  evil 
design.  Leaving  two  men  to  bring  on  the  pack-horses,  the 
other  three  of  us,  one  of  whom  was  old  Plume,  examined  our 
guns  and  hastened  towards  Gosa,  for  his  protection.  We  rode  a 
mile  or  upwards  before  we  had  the  happiness  to  discover  our 
mistake,  and  that  the  man  we  feared  was  Gunville,  wTho,  when 
we  first  saw  him,  had  occupied  a  place  so  nearly  between  us  and 
the  setting  sun,  that  we  had  not  at  that  great  distance  recognised 
him. 

On  the  2d  of  October  we  encamped,  after  a  few  miles'  ride, 
for  the  purpose  of  making  some  examinations,  and  Gunville 
was  sent  out  on  foot  to  hunt.  A  few  miles  from  camp  he  was 
alarmed  on  seeing  three  Indians  on  horseback,  at  a  considerable 
distance,  approaching  him.  There  was  no  forest  nor  unevenness 
of  land  to  hide  him  from  them,  and  he  discovered  that  they 
were  resolved  to  take  him.  One  came  rapidly  towards  him, 
while  the  others  bore  to  right  and  left,  with  a  view  of  intercept 
ing  him  with  the  more  ease,  should  he  attempt  to  escape.  See 
ing  no  alternative  but  to  submit  to  his  fate,  he  examined  his  gun 
and  awaited  their  arrival.  His  joy  was  equal  to  what  a  moment 
before  had  been  his  anxiety,  when  he  ascertained  on  their  near 
approach  that  they  were  Kauzaus.  They  were  disappointed  in 
not  finding  an  enemy,  whose  scalp  could  have  been  easily  taken  ; 
and  whether  their  disappointment  was  a  matter  of  joy  or  grief 
we  did  not  ascertain.  They  accompanied  Gunville  to  our  camp. 
Subsequently,  on  the  7th,  five  other  Kauzaus,  having  discover 
ed  our  trail,  came  to  our  encampment.  The  object  of  the  ex 
amination  of  the  country  being  attained,  the  tour  was  terminated 
on  the  13th  of  October. 

Mr.  Lykins  had  apparently  been  at  the  point  of  death,  but 
was  at  this  time  convalescent.  Our  dear  little  son  was  still 
sick.  It  was  desirable  that  Mr.  Lykins  should  at  this  time  re 
turn  to  Carey  and  Thomas,  on  business  in  that  country,  but  his 
severe  indisposition  preventing,  my  son  Josephus,  who  had 
accompanied  me  on  my  late  tour,  and  whose  services  were  all 
rendered  gratuitously,  agreed  to  go  for  us.  He  and  Gosa  set 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  395 

off  for  Michigan  the  2d  day  of  November,  Mr.  Lykins  intend 
ing  to  follow  as  soon  as  his  health  would  allow.  One  object  of 
this  journey  was  to  take-  a  delegation  of  Putawatomies  and  Ot- 
tawas  to  Washington,  with  the  view  of  urging  the  Government 
to  assist  these  tribes  to  remove  to  the  West ;  the  expense  of 
which  we  proposed  to  meet  out  of  our  own  means,  which  my  son 
was  to  collect  in  Michigan.  Had  this  scheme  succeeded,  much 
evil,  which  afterwards  befel  the  Putawatomies  and  Ottawason  ac 
count  of  being  detained  in  their  original  place,  would  have  been 
prevented  ;  but  it  failed,  chiefly  on  account  of  the  severe  indis 
position  of  rny  son. 

November  12th,  1829,  I  left  Fayette,  Missouri,  for  Washing 
ton.  Many  of  the  Putawatomies  and  Ottawas  desired  to  go  to 
the  West  with  us,  and  we  were  very  anxious  to  effect  a  general 
removal  about  the  time  of  closing  affairs  at  Carey,  because  we 
knew  that  their  deterioration  would  be  rapid  after  the  discon 
tinuance  of  our  missionary  operations.  We  were  also  fully 
aware  that  measures  would  be  taken  by  the  whites,  who  profited 
by  the  presence  of  the  Indians,  to  prevent  their  emigration  ;  we 
therefore  deemed  it  of  much  importance,  and  the  Indians  desired 
it,  that  a  few  of  their  principal  men  should  appear  at  Washing 
ton,  to  make  an  arrangement  for  their  removal.  No  other  mea 
sure  attended  by  equal  expense,  we  thought,  would  result  in 
more  advantage  to  the  interests  of  our  missionary  matters;  but, 
on  explaining  the  circumstances  to  the  board,  they  viewed  the 
subject  in  a  different  light,  and  declined  giving  the  necessary 
directions  for  accomplishing  it. 

The  little  property  which  I  owned  before  I  became  a  mission 
ary  had  been  invested  in  land  in  Ohio.  As  I  was  not  laying  by 
for  the  use  of  my  family,  should  they  outlive  me,  any  thing 
from  my  personal  services,  I  had  intended  that  this  little  should 
remain  theirs ;  but  it  appearing  necessary,  in  order  to  prevent  a 
distressing  relapse  in  missionary  affairs,  that  some  of  the  Indians 
should  meet  me  in  Washington,  and  not  finding  means  to  meet 
the  expense  elsewhere,  I  directed  my  son  to  procure  the  requi 
site  funds  by  the  sale  of  this  private  property.  This  plan  was 
also  disappointed,  on  account  of  the  sickness  of  my  son,  who 
had  left  Missouri  in  poor  health,  and  who,  at  Carey,  was  so  un 
well  as  to  be  entirely  unable  to  attend  to  any  business. 

The  late  Convention  had  directed  the  board  to  present  to 
Congress,  at  the  session  of  1829-'30,  a  memorial  in  favour  of 
giving  the  Indians  a  permanent  home,  &LC.,  in  the  West,  and  Mr. 
H.  Lincoln  was  afterwards  appointed  the  agent  of  the  board  to 
present  the  memorial.  Agreeably  to  my  request,  he  met  me  m 


396 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


Washington  in  December ;  but  the  memorial,  of  which  he  was 
the  bearer,  was  not  what  had  been  hoped  for;  it  did  not  present 
a  prayer  in  favour  of  settling  the  Indians  in  the  West,  but  merely 
asked  the  Government,  in  event  of  Indian  removal,  to  provide 
for  them  in  future.  It  appeared  to  me  that  the  tenor  of  the 
memorial  was  such  as  would  produce  an  impression  that  we 
were  receding,  instead  of  advancing,  in  the  matter  of  Indian 
colonization.  Regretted  that  the  board  had  felt  it  to  be  their 
duty  to  write  so  cautiously,  and  at  first  contemplated  presenting 
a  memorial  emanating  from  another  quarter,  but  refrained,  under 
an  impression  that  our  views  could  be  made  known  to  Congress, 
with  a  greater  prospect  of  success,  in  a  less  conspicuous  manner. 
The  memorial  of  the  board  was  presented  to  Congress  by  the 
Hon.  Wilson  Lumpkin,  on  the  4th  of  January,  1830. 

A  reason  why  we  were  particularly  anxious  to  bring  the  sub 
ject  in  which  we  were  deeply  interested  before  the  Government 
at  this  time,  in  such  a  manner  as  might  promote  the  most  fa 
vourable  action,  was,  it  had  been  discovered  that,  in  the  progress 
of  this  subject,  Congress  at  this  session  would  probably  adopt 
some  effective  measures,  and  it  was  desirable  that  these  mea 
sures  should  be  such  as  would  have  a  salutary  tendency.  That 
we  were  not  mistaken  in  supposing  that  this  crisis  had  arrived, 
will  appear  a  little  while  hence,  in  the  enactment  of  what  is 
known  by  "  the  law  of  1830." 

In  the  changes  which  the  board  had  made  in  matters  at  the 
Thomas  station,  they  had  asked  the  Superintendent  of  Indian 
Affairs  to  confer  on  Mr.  Slater  the  appointment  of  teacher,  held 
by  Mr.  Lykins.  I  thought  this  was  indiscreet;  but  since  Mr. 
Lykins's  home  had  been  removed  far  to  the  west,  so  that  he 
could  only  occasionally  visit  the  Thomas  station,  and  as  there 
existed  no  reason  why  he  should  draw  the  salary  of  the  teacher 
in  his  own  name — only  that  it  would  afford  him  an  opportunity 
of  giving  some  direction  in  its  application  at  the  station,  which 
would  virtually  be  the  exercise  of  so  much  authority  in  direct 
ing  the  management  of  its  affairs — 1  had  written  GovernourCass, 
intimating  our  acquiescence  in  the  wishes  of  the  board.  Never 
theless,  by  a  letter  received  from  his  Excellency  the  6th  of 
January,  I  was  informed  that  he  had  declined,  for  the  present, 
to  make  the  change  which  the  board  had  requested. 

In  the  autumn  of  1829,  the  board  very  judiciously  directed 
that  the  boarding  school  should  be  resumed  at  Thomas,  which 
was  accordingly  done.  Mrs.  Slater's  health  was  declining,  and 
about  this  time  Mr.  Slater  intimated  to  the  board  a  design  to 
ieave  the  missionary  field.  He  went  to  Detroit  to  make  prepa- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS, 


397 


ration  for  their  departure,  but  this  design  was  afterwards  relin 
quished. 

While  in  Washington  on  this  occasion,  I  was  brought  under 
great  obligations  to  President  Jackson,  Secretary  J.  H.  Eaton, 
and  numerous  members  of  Congress,  for  the  opportunities  af 
forded  me  of  pleading  for  such  measures,  in  behalf  of  the 
Indians,  as  appeared  proper.  Through  the  politeness  of  the 
Hon.  John  Bell,  Chairman,  I  was  allowed  to  appear  on  this 
subject  before  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs  of  the  House 
of  Representatives.  Gentlemen  Lumpkin,  McLean,  and  Hen- 
dricks,  were  conspicuous  among  those  whose  willingness  to  work 
in  promotion  of  Indian  interests  is  remembered  with  great  satis 
faction. 

At  this  time  the  subject  of  Indian  removal  was  warmly  agi 
tated,  and  numerous  memorials  reached  Congress,  opposed  to 
the  collocation  of  the  tribes  in  the  West.  To  some,  it  appeared 
evident  that  nineteen-twentieths  of  these  memorialists  were  mis 
led  by  others ;  they  were  actuated  by  kind  feelings  towards  the 
Indians,  and  did  not  imagine  that  if  their  requests  should  pre 
vail,  the  Cherokees,  for  whom  alone  their  sympathies  appeared 
to  be  elicited,  would  be  driven  from  the  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
by  force  of  arms,  and  that  all  who  resisted  would  become  victims 
to  their  temerity. 

In  order  that  those  in  Congress  who  opposed  the  measure 
might  not  have  all  the  argument  to  be  drawn  from  memorials 
on  their  side,  I  wrote  to  friends  in  divers  places,  setting  forth 
what  I  deemed  to  be  the  true  state  of  the  case,  and  requesting 
them  to  forward  memorials  in  favour  of  the  plan  under  consider 
ation.  The  result  was,  well  written  memorials  were  presented 
to  Congress  from  various  places :  one  was  from  the  Pennsyl 
vania  Baptist  Association  for  missionary  purposes,  Philadelphia  ; 
another  from  citizens  of  Philadelphia  and  vicinity — the  latter 
was  lengthy,  embracing  argument,  &c.,  and  was  printed  ;  one 
from  Troy,  Ohio  ;  one  from  Salem,  Indiana,  and  one  from  New- 
York  city. 

In  order  to  promote  right  views  in  reference  to  memorializing 
Congress,  and  to  confer  with  the  board,  at  its  request,  I  went  to 
Philadelphia,  where  I  remained  ten  days.  I  had  left  Philadel 
phia  but  a  few  miles  for  New- York,  on  the  13th  of  February, 
1830,  when  the  stage  capsized,  and  so  injured  me  that  for  some 
time  my  recovery  was  doubtful.  One  of  my  shoulders  was 
much  injured,  several  ribs  broken,  and  my  chest  was  so  crushed 
by  a  vast  weight  which  fell  upon  me,  that  my  breast  and  sides 
ever  after  remained  much  out  of  natural  shape.  At  the  time,  I 


398 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


thought  it  probable  that  I  should  not  recover,  and  made  a  vigor 
ous  effort  to  reach  the  residence  of  my  untiring  friend,  Mr. 
Cone,  in  New- York.  I  was  conducted  into  his  hospitable 
dwelling  under  circumstances  which  scarcely  admitted  a  hope 
that  I  should  leave  it  with  life.  Here,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cone, 
and  their  dear  sons,  Edward  and  Wallace,  I  remained  thirty- 
seven  days ;  and  when  I  left  I  was  barely  able  to  move,  being 
exceedingly  sore  and  in  much  pain.  It  was  more  than  two 
months  before  I  was  able  to  preach.  The  kindness  of  these 
good  people,  and  Miss  Price,  who  was  a  member  of  their  family, 
made  a  deep  impression  on  my  sense  of  gratitude,  and  that  of 
all  my  family.  To  their  unremitted  attention,  and  their  ardent 
sympathies,  and  sensible  and  consoling  conversation,  when  anxie 
ties  respecting  my  family,  the  Indians,  and  the  missionaries,  were 
rapidly  accumulating,  may  be  attributed  in  a  great  degree  the 
agency  which  a  gracious  God  employed  for  my  restoration. 
Such  people  ought  to  be  known  to  the  world ;  no  doubt,  such 
acts  of  kindness  are  noticed  in  heaven.  I  was  so  long  confined 
in  New- York,  that  I  concluded  not  to  proceed  to  Boston  to  see 
the  board,  but  to  return  to  Washington. 

As  the  views  of  some  of  the  missionaries  respecting  the  best 
mode  of  conducting  missions,  and  in  respect  to  the  colonization 
of  the  Indians  in  the  West,  differed  somewhat  from  those  which 
the  acting  members  of  the  board  honestly  and  religiously  in 
dulged,  it  was  thought  by  the  former  that  the  connection  had 
better  be  dissolved.  It  would  not  be  a  separation  in  affection, 
but  one  merely  of  an  official  character.  Accordingly,  before  I 
was  able  to  leave  my  room,  I  wrote  a  resignation,  including  Mr. 
Lykins's,  and  mentioned  that  I  believed  Mr.  Simerwell  and  Mr. 
Meeker  would  also  unite  in  the  same.  I  stated  many  reasons 
why  we  deemed  it  better  for  us  to  retire  from  the  connection, 
the  substance  of  which  was,  that  the  views  of  the  acting  board, 
relative  to  the  most  eligible  measures  for  benefiting  the  Indians, 
differed  in  some  important  particulars  from  those  of  the  mission 
aries.  The  public  naturally  looked  to  the  board  for  information 
on  the  subject ;  and  with  their  views,  and  the  onerous  charge 
of  other  missions  resting  on  them,  it  was  scarcely  to  be  expected 
that  the  condition  and  wants  of  Indian  missions  would  be  fully 
presented  to  public  view.  The  object  of  the  missionaries  in 
placing  themselves  under  the  patronage  of  the  board  was,  to 
obtain  assistance  in  their  missionary  operations,  in  means  of  sup 
port,  in  influence  upon  public  sentiment,  in  enlisting  mission 
aries,  and  in  devising  and  executing  measures.  In  these 
respects,  the  missionaries  believed  that  the  advantages  which 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


399 


they  received  by  the  connection  were  not  such  as  to  make  its 
continuance  desirable  ;  they  believed  that  it  had  been  a  hin- 
derance  to  their  usefulness,  and,  having  consecrated  their  lives  to 
this  work,  they  desired  to  be  at  liberty  to  prosecute  it  with 
energy,  and  render  themselves  as  useful  as  possible ;  therefore, 
they  desired  that  the  connection  should  be  dissolved,  so  that  the 
missionaries  might  either  form  a  connection  with  a  society  organ 
ized  with  a  special  reference  to  this  object,  or,  if  this  could  not 
be  done,  might  bring  their  cause  immediately  before  the  public 
in  their  own  way. 

This  communication  was  shown  to  Mr.  Cone,  and  some  other 
friends  in  New- York,  who  advised  that  I  proceed  to  Boston  to 
see  the  board,  according  to  the  original  design.  To  their  earnest 
solicitation  I  yielded,  and  Mr.  Cone,  and  William  Colgate,  Esq., 
a  gentleman  of  distinguished  worth,  accompanied  me.  The 
subject  was  deliberated  upon  by  the  board  three  days,  and  re 
sulted  in  the  continuation  of  our  connection.  Our  desire  was, 
to  see  Indian  missions  prosecuted  with  energy.  It  was  not  so 
much  matter  how  the  work  was  performed,  as  that  it  be  done 
some  how.  About  this  time  an  effort  was  made  to  enlist  in  In 
dian  affairs  some  talented  friend  at  New-York  or  Philadelphia, 
who,  through  the  press,  would  keep  the  public  properly  informed 
of  our  proceedings ;  but  the  effort  was  unsuccessful.  With 
some  there  was  a  deficiency  of  zeal,  and  those  who  would  have 
cheerfully  engaged  were  prevented  by  a  want  of  time,  or  by 
some  other  equally  imperious  circumstance. 

On  the  7th  of  April  I  returned  to  Washington,  where  the 
advocates  and  opponents  of  the  colonizing  plan  were  warmly 
debating  its  merits.  Mr.  Evarts,  the  corresponding  secretary 
of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions, 
was  present,  and,  as  on  all  occasions,  manifested  untiring  vigi 
lance  in  promoting  opposition  to  the  removal  of  the  Cherokees. 
He  not  only  spoke  against  the  measure,  but  wrote  and  published 
some  pieces  which  had  much  influence  in  strengthening  the  op 
position.  He  frequently  urged  me  to  unite  the  influence  which 
I  might  have  with  theirs,  in  favour,  as  he  termed  it,  of  the 
Cherokees.  I  took  precisely  an  opposite  view  of  the  interests 
of  the  Cherokees  and  of  all  other  Indians,  and  supposed  that 
he  was  unconsciously  doing  them  all  possible  harm.  Our  inter 
views  were  always  friendly,  but  each  employed  what  strength 
he  possessed  in  opposite  directions.  The  advocates  of  the  plan 
did  not  manage  their  side  of  the  question,  either  in  debate  or  in 
public  prints,  as  well  as  the  subject  admitted.  The  truth  was, 


400 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


the  matter  was  agitated  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  attaining 
other  ends  than  the  welfare  of  the  Indians. 

A  bill  was  before  Congress,  to  the  decision  of  which  all  looked 
as  a  test  of  the  strength  of  the  two  great  political  parties  upon 
the  subject  of  Indian  colonization.  Should  this  bill  pass,  one, 
and  the  first  substantial  measure  towards  settling  the  policy  of 
colonization  would  be  adopted  by  the  Government.  Should  it 
fail,  the  advocates  of  the  measure  would  have  great  reason  to 
doubt  their  success  in  any  reasonable  time  in  future.  The  bill 
passed  the  Senate  by  a  vote  of  twenty-eight  to  twenty.  In  the 
House  of  Representatives,  upon  several  of  the  questions  pre 
liminary  to  the  final  vote,  the  House  was  equally  divided.  On 
the  26th  of  May  it  passed  the  House  by  a  vote  of  one  hun 
dred  and  two  to  ninety  seven.  The  debates  on  this  bill  exci 
ted  intense  interest.  Long  and  strong  speeches  were  made 
on  both  sides,  and  many  of  them  were  published  in  pamphlet 
form  and  scattered  through  the  country.  Doubtless,  much  that 
passed  for  sound  argument  at  that  time  will  be  viewed  very  dif 
ferently  by  the  historian  who  may  narrate  the  whole  affair. 

This  bill,  because  its  adoption  was  the  first  efficient  step  taken 
by  the  Government  towards  settling  the  policy  of  colonizing 
the  Indians,  became  notorious  as  the  "  act  of  May  26,  1830." 
The  first  section  authorized  "  the  President  of  the  United  States 
to  cause  so  much  of  any  territory  belonging  to  the  United  States 
west  of  the  river  Mississippi,  not  included  in  any  State  or  organ 
ized  territory,  and  to  which  the  Indian  title  had  been  extin 
guished,  as  he  might  judge  necessary,  to  be  divided  into  a 
suitable  number  of  districts,  for  the  reception  of  such  tribes  or 
nations  of  Indians  as  might  choose  to  exchange  the  lands  where 
they  then  resided,  and  remove  there,  and  to  cause  each  of 
said  districts  to  be  so  described  by  natural  or  artificial  marks  as 
to  be  easily  distinguished  from  every  other." 

Section  second  authorized  him  "  to  exchange  such  districts 
with  any  tribe  then  residing  within  the  limits  of  any  of  the 
States  or  Territories." 

Section  third  made  it  '*  lawful  for  the  President  solemnly  to 
assure  the  tribe  or  nation  with  which  the  exchange  should  be 
made,  that  the  United  States  would  forever  secure  and  guar 
anty  to  them,  and  their  heirs  and  successors,  the  country  so  ex 
changed  with  them;  and  if  they  preferred  it,  the  United  States 
would  cause  a  patent  to  be  executed  to  them  for  the  same." 
The  sum"  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  was  appropriated,  to 
carry  into  effect  the  provisions  of  the  bill. 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


40  i 


About  this  time  the  President  informed  rue  that  he  (It-signed 
to  place  the  ten  thousand  dollar  annual  appropriation  for  Indian 
reform  in  my  charge,  to  apply  to  the  support  of  schools,  &c., 
in  the  West.  This,  indeed,  would  have  been  a  great  favour, 
had  a  judicious  location  of  the  tribes  been  made,  but  it  ap 
peared  that  the  measures  which  required  first  attention  were 
such  as  related  to  a  just  apportionment  of  land  to  each,  and  the 
security  of  the  same  to  them,  respectively,  and  my  friends  de 
sired  that  my  attention  be  directed  to  this  matter.  I  therefore 
declined  accepting  the  trust  of  applying  the  chilizalion  fund, 
as  it  was  called.  I,  received  instructions  to  survey  the  lands 
which  had  lately  been  assigned  by  a  treaty  to  the  Delawares. 
This  was  undertaking  an  arduous  v\ork,  but  it  was  one  likely  to 
afford  a  greater  opportunity  of  applying  influence  on  matters  of 
vital  importance  to  the  success  of  the  experiment  of  colonizing 
the  tribes  than  any  situation  which  at  that  time  presented  itself. 
It  was  also  a  great  favour  to  receive  some  business  by  which  I 
could  obtain  something  for  the  support  of  my  family.  My 
funds  had  become  exhausted,  so  that,  to  enable  me  to  leave  and 
to  get  back  to  my  family,  I  had  been  obliged  to  request  Governour 
Cass  to  send  me  a  portion  of  the  amount  allowed  as  my  annual 
salary,  on  account  of  my  connection  with  Carey,  and  which  I 
had  been  applying  to  the  support  of  that  station. 

Mr.  Lykins,  on  recovering  from  his  severe  sickness,  in  the 
autumn  of  1829,  proceeded  to  our  missionary  station  in  Michi 
gan,  agreeably  to  his  original  design.  A  part  of  his  business 
was  to  select,  by  authority  from  Government,  fifty-eight  reser 
vations  of  land,  allowed  at  the  treaty  of  1826,  to  the  Indian 
youths  who  were  or  had  been  connected  with  our  schools.  He 
accomplished  his  work  in  the  early  part  of  1830.  After  a  se 
paration  from  my  family  of  nearly  seven  months,  I  set  out  to 
return  to  them  on  the  5th  of  June. 

My  son,  Dr.  Josephus  McCoy,  who  had  agreed  to  labour 
gratuitously  for  some  time  to  come,  in  promotion  of  our  mis 
sionary  interests,  and  who  had  gone  to  Michigan  upon  business  of 
the  mission  in  November,  had  been  twice,  during  the  preceding 
summer  and  fall,  attacked  with  bilious  fever.  He  was  in  poor 
health  when  he  accompanied  me  on  my  last  tour  of  exploration, 
and  was  not  well  when  he  started  from  Missouri  to  Michigan. 
While  crossing  the  extensive  prairies  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  the 
weather  became  so  cold  that  the  mercury  sunk  below  zero. 
The  snow  was  pretty  deep,  and  travelling  on  horseback  through 
a  wilderness  was  rendered  tedious  and  uncomfortable.  He  con 
tracted  cold,  and  was  attacked  with  pleurisy.  He  lay  six  day? 
51 


402 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


at  Chicago,  and  on  becoming  able  to  sit  upon  bis  horse,  he 
resumed  his  journey,  having  hired  a  man,  in  addition  to  his 
Indian,  to  help  him  on  through  the  wilderness,  the  snow  remain 
ing  deep,  and  crusted,  so  that  travelling  was  almost  impractica 
ble.  He  suffered  exceedingly  from  sickness,  cold,  and  fatigue, 
before  he  reached  Carey,  and  one  of  his  horses  failed  on  ac 
count  of  fatigue  and  the  scarcity  of  food,  and  perished. 

He  continued  unable  to  attend  to  business,  and  remained  at 
Carey  until  the  29th  of  April,  when  Mr.  Lykins  made  an 
effort  to  convey  him  to  Missouri  in  a  carriage.  In  the  State 
of  Illinois  he  became  too  unwell  to  travel,  and  Mr.  Lykins 
sent  to  Missouri  for  my  eldest  son,  Dr.  Rice  McCoy,  to  come 
to  their  assistance.  They  took  .a  steamboat  down  the  Illi 
nois  and  Mississippi,  to  St.  Louis,  which  place  they  left  in  a 
boat  on  the  morning  of  the  18th  of  June.  I  reached  that  place 
later  in  the  day,  and  riding  across  the  country  fell  in  with  them 
at  St.  Charles,  and  ascended  the  Missouri  in  the  boat  with  them. 
On  the  21st  we  met  Mrs.  McCoy  and  our  third  son,  Calvin. 
We  were  in  a  fragile  old  boat,  which  had  been  a  common  keel, 
worked  by  ores  or  poles,  which  was  now  propelled  by  steam. 
The  whole  voyage  was  attended  with  frequent  alarms,  and  once 
we  fastened  on  a  snag  in  the  middle  of  the  river ;  the  boat  turn 
ed  across  the  stream,  and  was  rapidly  capsizing,  when,  through 
the  mercy  of  Him  who  controls  the  winds  and  waters,  the  snag 
broke  and  allowed  the  boat  to  right  again.  This  was  the  most 
anxious  moment  of  my  life,  rendered  more  so  on  account  of  the 
presence  of  Mrs.  McCoy  and  our  sick  son.  Had  the  snag  on 
which  the  boat  hung  remained  unbroken  two  seconds  longer,  there 
would  have  been  no  apparent  possibility  of  escape  from  a  watery 
grave.  Discovering,  as  soon  as  I  entered  the  boat,  that  it  was 
not  seaworthy,  I  had  entreated  the  captain  to  purchase  a  skiff 
or  canoe,  at  my  expense,  on  account  of  my  sick  son.  This  he 
promised,  but  without  the  design  of  fulfilling  it,  and  we  were 
now  without  a  small  boat  to  be  used  in  an  emergency.  After 
loosing  from  the  snag,  the  boat  was  hurried  down  by  a  rapid 
current  amidst  many  snags,  and  it  was  with  imminent  hazard  and 
great  difficulty  that  a  landing  was  effected  ;  in  doing  it,  some  of 
the  men  had  to  leap  into  the  water  and  swim  ashore,  carrying  the 
end  of  a  rope.  Our  perilous  situation  was  discovered  at  a  house 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  two  men  in  a  skiff  hasten 
ed  towards  us,  but  did  not  reach  us  till  we  had  fastened  to  the 
shore. 

We  arrived  at  our  residence  in  Fayette  on  the  24th  of  June, 
and  on  the  30th  our  dear  Josephus  breathed  his  last.    This  was 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  »    403 

another  severe  stroke,  the  weight  of  which  was  increased  by  our 
peculiar  circumstances ;  but  we  wiped  the  tear  of  grief,  in  the 
confident  belief  that  our  son  had  gone  to  heaven.  Our  hopes 
of  his  future  usefulness  in  a  work  to  which  we  had  devoted  our 
poor  lives,  had  been  sanguine,  but  wisdom  had  directed  other 
wise. 

Difficulties  had  so  accumulated  around  Mr.  Sirnerwell  at 
Carey,  that  when  Mr.  Lykins  left  that  station  in  April,  he  was 
fully  convinced  of  the  propriety  of  closing  operations  there  as 
soon  as  practicable ;  and  on  the  27th  of  July,  he,  with  his  wife 
and  child,  started  again  for  that  country,  with  the  view  of  effect 
ing  this,  and  of  obtaining  assistance  in  commencing  missionary 
labours  in  the  West.  He  attended  the  valuation  of  the  improve 
ments  at  Carey,  agreeably  to  an  arrangement  we  had  made  with 
the  Secretary  of  War,  which  valuation  was  made  on  the  1st  of 
September,  1830,  by  Charles  Noble,  Esq.,  of  Michigan,  and 
Mr.  Simonson,  of  Indiana.  The  improvements  were  appraised 
at  $5,080,  and  the  growing  crop,  after  reserving  enough  for 
the  use  of  Mr.  Sirnerwell,  was  appraised  at  $641  50;  in  all, 
$5,721 '50.  This  sum  was  paid  to  the  board  of  missions  in 
Boston,  by  the  Government,  to  be  applied  in  establishing  the 
mission  in  the  West.  The  value  of  the  improvements  had  been 
greatly  enhanced  by  an  orchard  of  apple  and  peach  trees,  to 
the  culture  of  which  early  attention  had  been  given,  in  anticipa 
tion  of  this  event.  We  had  previously  obtained  leave  of  Gov 
ernment  for  Mr.  Simerwell  to  occupy  a  portion  of  the  buildings 
until  he  could  make  arrangements  for  another  temporary  resi 
dence  in  that  country.  It  was  desirable  that  he  should  remain 
a  while  in  those  parts,  because  the  Putawatomies  were  still 
there.  The  school  was  discontinued,  with  the  exception  of 
seven  or  eight  Indian  children,  whom  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sirnerwell 
kept  with  them.  They  remained  at  Carey  a  few  months,  and 
then  located  in  another  place  in  the  same  neighbourhood.  Mr. 
Simerwell  employed  his  time  in  the  study  of  the  Putawatornie 
language,  and  in  taking  care,  as  well  as  he  could,  of  our  scatter 
ed  flock.  It  was  then  hoped  that  he  might  leave  that  country 
in  the  course  of  seven  or  eight  months ;  in  this  we  were  also 
disappointed. 

The  affairs  of  the  Thomas  station  had  for  some  time  remain 
ed  nearly  stationary,  but  were  not  flourishing.  Miss  Eleanor 
Richardson,  who  had  joined  the  mission  in  1828,  left  it  in  May, 
1829,  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  returned  to  Cincinnati.  Her 
health  having  improved  sufficiently  to  justify  returning  to  the 
missionary  field,  Mr.  Meeker  met  her  in  Cincinnati,  where 


404 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


united  in  marriage,  in  September,  1830,  arid  immediately  re 
turned  to  their  missionary  station.  Miss  Susan  Thompson  join 
ed  this  mission  in  1828,  and  with  poor  health  left  the  station  in 
September,  1830.  Rev.  Mr.  Cone,  of  New  York,  was  a  friend 
who  never  forgot  us,  whether  we  were  near  or  far  off,  who  kept 
himself  informed  of  our  circumstances,  and  whose  generosity 
\vas  equal  to  his  zeal.  About  this  time  we  had  become  so 
scarce  of  funds  that  we  were  obliged  to  borrow  money  to  fit 
out  Mr.  Lykins  for  Michigan,  and  for  the  support  of  our  fami 
lies,  though  I  hoped  to  be  able  to  pay  out  of  my  earnings  from 
Government,  when  I  should  receive  it.  Mr.  Cone,  knowing 
that  we  must  necessarily  be  scarce  of  funds,  and  that  we  were 
in  a  land  of  strangers,  wrote  us,  saying  that  if  we  were  in  want 
we  might  draw  on  him.  We  were  happy  that  by  credit  in  our 
place  we  were  not  under  the  necessity  of  availing  ourselves  of 
liis  liberality.  Some  time  afterwards  I  accepted  of  a  similar 
offer,  and  received  of  him  a  considerable  ^sum,  all  of  which  I 
was  afterwards  enabled  to  return. 

The  interval  between  the  24th  of  June  and  the  16th  of 
August,  I  was  allowed  to  spend  with  my  family.  While  pre 
paring  for  another  long  separation  from  them,  I  wrote  consider 
ably  on  Indian  matters,  for  publication  in  a  religious  paper  in 
Philadelphia,  and  a  political  paper  in  Washington. 

From  the  time  of  our  reaching  Fayette,  my  eldest  son  had 
been  employed  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  his  prospects 
were  flattering,  but  he  cheerfully  consented  to  gratify  my  desire 
to  see  him  labouring  in  some  manner  in  the  Indian  country,  and 
took  an  appointment  as  assistant  surveyor.  My  third  son,  though 
scarcely  grown,  was  taken  with  me  also,  and  on  the  16th  of 
August  we  set  out  to  make  the  surveys  for  the  Delavvares,  as  I 
had  been  instructed  by  the  Secretary  of  War.  Upon  this  tour 
we  were  absent  in  the  wilderness  one  hundred  and  three  days ; 
ninety-six  nights  in  succession  were  spent  without  being  shel 
tered  by  the  roof  of  a  house. 

As  we  passed  through  the  Shawanoe  settlements  adjoining  the 
line  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  through  the  politeness  of  Major 
John  Campbell,  United  States'  Indian  agent,  acting  for  the  Shaw- 
anoes  and  Delawares,  I  had  an  interview  in  council  with  up 
wards  of  twenty  Shawanoes,  on  the  subject  of  establishing  a 
mission  amono;  them.  The  celebrated  Shawanoe  prophet,  the 
brother  of  Tecumseh,  who  figured  in  the  last  war,  was  present, 
and,  in  behalf  of  the  rest,  responded  to  my  remarks,  professedly 
approving  the  proposition,  though  no  doubt  he  secretly  was  op 
posed  to  every  thing  like  education  or  religion.  They  were 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  405 

desired  to  reflect  on  what  I  had  proposed,  and  to  be  prepared 
to  answer  me,  as  I  would  repass  their  place  on  my  way  home. 

A  white  man  by  the  name  of  Fish,  who  had  lived  with  the 
Shawanoes  from  a  small  boy,  and  was  in  all  respects  identified 
with  them,  had  become  a  principal  of  a  clan  which  had  lived 
many  years  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  which  was  in  a  good 
degree  civilized.  I  took  Fish  to  the  house  of  Captain  Anthony 
Shane,  a  half  breed,  and  who  was  the  United  States'  interpreter  ; 
and  on  his  informing  me  that  he  and  his  party  desired  a  school 
for  the  instruction  of  their  youth,  I  assured  him  that  he  should 
be  furnished  with  one  ;  and.  whatever  might  be  the  answer  of  the 
rest  of  the  nation  to  my  proposals,  he  might  rely  upon  the 
establishment  of  a  school  for  his  party.  1  would  immediately 
begin  to  make  preparation  for  it,  and  on  my  return  his  wishes 
should  be  met  with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  Two  others  of 
the  party  at  the  same  time  urged  me  to  establish  the  school. 

On  the  22d  of  November  I  returned  to  this  place,  when 
Captain  Cornstalk  and  Captain  William  Perry,  chiefs,  met  me, 
to  deliver  the  decision  of  the  nation,  which  was  favourable  to 
the  establishment  of  the  school  proposed.  These  chiefs,  how 
ever,  and  most  of  the  Shawanoes,  consented  to  my  propositions 
rather  through  courtesy,  than  on  account  of  a  desire  really  to 
enjoy  the  advantages  of  education.  Like  most  Indians,  not 
much  advanced  in  civilization,  they  felt  little  desire  for  schools, 
and  still  less  to  hear  preaching.  With  Fish  and  his  party 
it  was  otherwise ;  they  appreciated  in  a  good  degree  the 
former,  and  were  favourably  inclined  to  the  latter,  and  through 
them  I  had  hoped  that  access  could  be  successfully  obtained  to 
the  main  body  of  the  nation.  But  unfortunately  for  my  plan, 
while  I  had  been  absent  in  the  wilderness,  the  Reverend  Mr. 
McAllister  and  the  Reverend  Thomas  Johnson,  of  the  Metho 
dist  denomination,  visited  the  Shawanoes,  and  made  similar  pro 
positions.  The  main  body  of  the  Shawanoes  objected,  t(  be 
cause,"  they  said,  "  they  intended  to  accept  the  proposals  I  had 
made  them."  The  result,  however,  was  an  agreement  that  the 
Methodists  should  establish  a  school  with  Fish's  party.  In  this 
matter  I  felt  a  disappointment  which  I  could  not  remedy;  but  I 
was  still  resolved  to  carry  out  the  design  of  establishing  a  mis 
sion  in  the  nation.  About  the  same  time  I  made  an  arrange 
ment  with  Major  John  Dougherty,  United  States7  Indian  agent, 
for  the  establishment  of  missions  among  the  Otoes,  Omahas, 
and  Pawnees,  of  his  agency,  high  up  the  Missouri  river.  Mr. 
Cone  was  informed  of  this,  and  requested  to  bring  the  matter 


406 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


to  the  consideration  of  the  board.  The  result  of  these  efforts 
will  be  subsequently  noticed. 

Agreeably  to  a  previous  arrangement,  while  we  were  proceed 
ing  to  make  the  Delaware  survey,  we  were  joined  at  the  agency 
by  an  old  Delaware,  whose  English  name  was  John  Quick,  who 
had  been  appointed  by  the  nation  a  commissioner  to  attend  the 
surveying  of  their  lands.  As  we  passed  the  Shawanoes  council 
house,  we  found  thirty-five  Kauzaus  about  to  enter  into  council 
with  the  Shawanoes.  The  latter  invited  me  to  attend,  to  which  I 
had  no  objection.  1  was  pleased  with  the  friendship  implied  in  the 
invitation,  and  my  work  leading  me  near  to  the  Kauzau  villages, 
it  was  necessary  that  I  should  give  them  some  explanations  of 
our  designs,  in  order  to  save  ourselves  from  injury  from  them  ; 
and  this  was  now  a  favourable  opportunity  for  making  those  ex 
planations.  We  completed  our  council  on  the  following  day. 
We  had  to  ford  the  Kauzau  river  where  it  was  so  deep  that  our 
baggage  could  not  be  kept  entirely  dry;  some  of  our  horses 
mired  in  the  quicksand,  and  some  of  us  had  to  dismount  in  the 
river  and  wade  out. 

Our  business  would  lead  us  much  further  into  the  wilderness 
than  we  had  gone  in  any  one  of  the  three  exploring  tours.  For 
our  protection,  the  Secretary  of  War  had  ordered  an  escort  of 
soldiers  to  attend  us.  But,  owing  to  the  churlishness  of  the 
commanding  officer  at  Fort  Leaven  worth,  only  fifteen  men  were 
ordered  to  accompany  us,  most  of  whom  we  needed  as  labour 
ers.  We  were  all  armed,  and  kept  up  a  sentinel  at  night;  but 
our  business  compelled  us  often  to  separate  through  the  day,  so 
that  we  were  frequently  not  prepared  to  defend  ourselves.  For 
several  years  the  Pawnees  had  been  troublesome,  and  not  a  year 
passed  in  which  they  did  not  commit  robberies  on  the  whites. 
Being  under  the  necessity  of  passing  near  to  some  of  their  vil 
lages,  and  of  going  very  far  beyond  them,  it  was  requisite  that  we 
should  have  an  interview  before  entering  their  country;  therefore, 
while  we  were  employed  at  some  distance  from  them,  Major 
Dougherty,  the  agent,  had  the  goodness  to  send  two  men  ex 
press,  and  invite  their  chiefs  into  council  at  Fort  Leavenworth. 
He  also  accompanied  us  to  the  Kauzaus,  to  see  them  again, 
and  to  use  his  influence  to  prevent  them  from  robbing  or  other 
wise  injuring  us.  We  held  a  council  with  them  near  their  vil 
lages,  on  the  2d  and  3d  days  of  September.  A  party  had  recent 
ly  stolen  from  the  Pawnees  nine  horses,  which  they  seemed  not 
inclined  to  give  up,  notwithstanding  they  were  demanded  by 
the  agent.  At  that  time,  two  other  companies  of  Kauzaus  were 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


407 


gone  to  commit  depredations  on  the  Pawnees.  As  much  of 
our  work  lay  between  those  two  tribes,  these  circumstances  in 
creased  our  danger.  We  had  reason  to  fear,  that  if  the  Kau- 
zaus,  in  their  descent  upon  the  Pawnees,  should  not  come  off  to 
their  satisfaction,  they  would  undertake  to  supply  the  deficiency 
from  our  company;  and  if  they  should  injure  the  Pawnees,  that 
the  latter  would  follow  them,  and  be  led  on  to  us  with  no  better 
feelings  than  the  Kauzaus.  We  afterwards  frequently  met  with 
Kauzaus,  but  were  not  molested,  though,  about  the  same  time, 
they  stole  a  horse  or  two  from  some  traders  passing  through  the 
same  neighbourhood. 

On  the  16th  of  September  three  hunters  were  sent  out,  two 
of  whom  got  lost,  and,  though  we  set  fire  to  the  prairie  grass 
several  days  in  succession,  in  hopes  that  they  would  discover 
the  smoke,  were  unable  to  find  their  way  back  to  us.  After 
wandering  some  time  separately,  they,  at  different  periods, 
reached  Fort  Leaven  worth. 

I  went  into  Fort  Leavenworth  on  the  24th  of  September, 
1830,  to  meet  in  council  one  hundred  Pawnees,  who  had  come 
in  agreeably  to  the  message  sent  by  express  a  few  weeks  before. 
They  were  informed  that  I  was  surveying  the  lands  of  the  Dela- 
wares,  but  not  that  I  should  pass  near  their  villages,  because 
their  knowledge  of  the  latter  would  have  exposed  us  to  danger. 
We  ascertained  at  what  time  they  would  be  absent  on  their 
autumnal  buffalo  hunt,  and  that  time  we  embraced  to  pass 
through  the  part  of  the  country  which  was  near  their  towns. 
On  this  occasion,  our  Delaware  commissioner,  John  Quick,  in 
terchanged  peace  speeches  with  them,  in  behalf  of  his  people 
who  were  about  to  settle  in  this  country. 

The  treaty  which  had  fixed  the  boundary  of  the  Delaware 
country  made  no  provision  for  reserving  to  the  use  of  the 
United  States  the  site  of  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  to  make  the 
survey  according  to  my  instructions  would  have  rendered  the  site 
ineligible.  1  therefore  assumed  the  responsibility  of  making  an 
arrangement  with  Quick,  who  acted  in  behalf  of  his  people,  by 
which  a  suitable  tract  was  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  garrison. 
This  measure  was  afterwards  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  War. 

While  negotiating  as  above,  Quick  intrusted  to  me  a  commu 
nication  to  the  Government,  in  which,  among  other  things,  he 
requested,  in  behalf  of  his  people,  that  their  lands  in  this  coun 
try,  from  which  they  desired  never  to  remove,  should  be  secured 
to  them  by  the  United  States  Government,  by  the  same  instru 
ment  by  which  land  was  secured  to  its  own  citizens.  This  is 
supposed  to  be  the  first  instance  of  an  Indian  tribe  asking  for  a 


40  S 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


patent  for  its  land,  and  it  may  be  easily  imagined  that  this  Dela 
ware  chief  was  prompted  to  make  the  request  by  persons  who 
desired  that  here  the  Indians  should  have  a  permanent  home. 
John  Quick  then  left  us,  and  returned  to  his  people. 

The  ancient  artificial  mounds  and  fortifications,  so  common  in 
the  western  States,  are  seen  less  frequently  as  we  go  west  from 
the  Mississippi  river,  and  they  disappear  in  the  prairie  country 
assigned  to  the  Indians.  About  a  mile  west  of  Fort  Leaven- 
worth,  on  a  hill  which  commands  a  fine  prospect  in  every  direc 
tion,  we  discovered  eight  mounds  near  to  each  other,  which, 
from  their  relative  position  and  their  structure,  attracted  our 
particular  attention.  They  were  about  twenty-five  feet  in  di 
ameter  at  base,  six  of  them  nearly  in  a  direct  line,  about  thirty 
feet  asunder,  and  the  other  two  were  on  each  side  of  the  line 
opposite  to  each  other  near  the  centre.  They  were  composed 
of  stones  and  earth  ;  the  former  placed  in  a  circle.  One  of 
these  mounds  we  excavated,  and  in  the  hollow  within  the  circle 
of  stones  we  found  a  few  human  bones,  some  of  which  had  be 
longed  to  adults,  and  others  to  children.  Excepting  the  pieces 
of  the  skulls,  they  were  so  much  decayed  that,  with  the 
assistance  of  Dr.  Rice  McCoy,  and  Dr.  Bryant,  surgeon 
of  Fort  Leavenworth,  it  was  not  easy  to  discover  to  what 
part  of  the  human  body  they  belonged.  They  had  been  under 
the  action  of  fire,  and  were  mixed  with  charcoal,  burnt  earth, 
and  stones  that  had  been  heated  with  fire.  It  appeared  that 
after  the  bodies  had  been  subjected  to  the  action  of  fire, 
without  being  consumed  entirely,  they  were  covered  with  earth. 

Some  Indians  on  the  Columbia  river  burn  their  dead  ;  but 
whether  they  ever  leave  any  portion  of  the  bones  in  the  place 
of  burning,  I  have  not  been  informed.  The  place  where  these 
mounds  were  erected,  and  their  internal  appearance,  favoured  the 
conjecture  that  human  sacrifices  had  there  been  offered. 

On  the  18th  of  October  we  encountered  a  storm  of  wind 
and  sand,  and  burnt  grass,  of  a  character  of  which  I  have  not 
heard  any  one  else  speak  who  has  been  on  those  vast  prairies. 
Dr.  McCoy  had  gone  in  advance,  with  his  compass  and  survey 
ing  hands,  and  my  second  son  and  I,  with  others,  were  following 
on  their  trail  with  our  horses  and  baggage,  when  we  discovered 
to  the  northward  an  unaccountable  appearance,  somewhat  like 
an  indication  of  an  approaching  rain.  The  clouds  seemed  to 
roll  along  upon  the  earth,  but  we  had  not  long  to  conjecture,  be 
fore  we  were  enveloped  in  a  black  cloud  of  dust,  brought  with 
a  violent  wind.  During  many  weeks,  scarcely  any  rain  had 
fallen.  We  had  never  witnessed  such  a  severe  drought  in  any 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


409 


place.  The  fire,  in  the  course  of  a  very  few  days,  burned 
up  the  dry  grass  on  the  prairies  so  completely,  that  not  one  acre 
to  a  thousand  escaped.  The  ashes,  like  those  of  burnt  straw, 
covered  the  face  of  the  country.  This,  in  connection  with  the 
dust  and  sand  from  the  bare  prairies,  was  raised  by  the  sudden 
and  severe  wind,  until  the  day  became  as  dark  as  twilight.  It 
seemed  like  suffocating  our  lungs  and  blinding  our  eyes.  We 
soon  became  as  black  as  colliers,  and  the  frightfulness  of  our 
aspects  was  increased  by  each  rubbing  his  watery  eyes,  by 
which  means  he  washed  the  dust  from  a  little  circle  around  them. 
The  trail  of  the  surveyors  instantly  disappeared.  It  was  too 
dark  and  dusty  to  follow  a  pocket  compass,  and  we  felt  in  great 
danger  of  not  being  able  to  find  the  company.  We  kept  close 
to  each  other  and  made  towards  lower  ground,  and  at  length 
reached  a  small  watercourse  along  which  was  a  little  timber, 
which  afforded  a  partial  alleviation  of  our  troubles.  Here  we 
were  able  to  discover  where  the  surveyors  had  crossed,  and 
about  the  same  time  we  fell  in  with  one  sent  to  inform  us  that 
the  company,  unable  to  proceed,  had  halted  about  a  mile 
ahead. 

Having  now  regained  somewhat  the  use  of  my  eyes,  T  no 
ticed  particularly  the  course  we  should  steer.  The  man  with 
great  confidence  proposed  to  pilot  us  back  the  way  he  had  come, 
but  in  a  few  yards  bore  north  instead  of  west.  I  discovered 
that  he  was  lost,  and  directed  him  to  follow  me.  He  was  ex 
ceedingly  loth  to  do  so,  fully  believing  that  I  was  in  error.  We 
remained  in  camp  the  remainder  of  the  day,  and  though  we  had 
chosen  a  place  where  we  derived  great  advantage  from  rising 
land  around  us,  and  a  grove  of  wood,  yet,  until  near  night,  we 
were  distressingly  annoyed  by  dust. 

On  the  5th  of  November,  we  encountered  a  storm  of  the 
same  kind,  but  much  more  severe.  We  were  then  more  than 
two  hundred  miles  west  of  the  State  of  Missouri ;  the  weather 
exceedingly  dry,  the  day  fair  and  calm,  until  within  two  or  three 
hours  of  sunset.  We  had  reached  the  extremity  of  our  survey 
west,  and  turned  back  on  to  a  small  creek,  which  we  were  de 
scending  in  search  of  grass  for  our  horses.  The  Doctor  had 
gone  to  make  some  mineralogical  examinations  on  the  creek 
above,  when,  swift  as  the  wind,  a  cloud  of  sand,  dust,  and  ashes, 
came  upon  us,  so  thick  that  a  man  could  not  be  distinguished 
more  than  thirty  or  forty  yards.  The  first  impressions  were 
fears  of  suffocation.  I  had  left  my  second  son  with  the  main 
body  of  our  company,  and  with  two  men  had  proceeded  down 

52 


410  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

the  creek,  with  one  man  on  each  side,  in  search  of  a  place  at 
which  we  might  encamp.  My  first  object  was  to  call  the  two 
men  to  me.  The  wind  blew  so  hard  that  a  man's  voice  could 
be  elevated  so  as  to  be  heard  but  a  very  short  distance.  1  was 
afraid  the  company  might  become  scattered,  and  that  some  of 
them  would  get  lost ;  for,  in  this  event,  little  advantage  could 
be  derived  from  hallooing,  or  the  firing  of  guns,  and  the  prints 
of  the  horses'  feet  were  instantly  obliterated,  so  that  a  trail  could 
not  be  followed.  Unable  to  remain  on  my  horse,  I  alighted, 
drew  a  silk  handkerchief  over  my  face,  and  led  my  horse,  against 
the  wind,  back  towards  the  company;  he  could  hardly  be  forced 
forward  by  the  men  in  his  rear,  until  we  succeeded  in  finding 
the  larger  company.  My  son,  when  first  overtaken  by  the 
storm,  had  wheeled  the  horses  and  company  into  a  low  place, 
where,  with  the  storm  on  their  backs,  they  awaited  my  return. 
The  doctor  and  his  men  on  foot  also  took  shelter  beneath  the 
bank  of  the  creek,  and  afterwards  joined  us.  The  wind  in 
creased  in  violence,  but  the  dust  was  most  oppressive  during 
the  first  hour.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  we  pitched  our 
tents,  though  we  had  selected,  in  a  streak  of  wood  on  the  creek, 
the  lowest  ground  we  could  find.  Very  soon  our  tent  was  pros 
trated  by  the  wind  ;  cooking  could  not  be  performed,  and  the 
sand  and  ashes  from  the  prairie  found  their  way  into  every  place 
which  could  be  reached  by  the  wind.  It  was  with  us  a  dismal 
night,  and  no  better  for  our  poor  horses,  of  which  we  had  nine 
teen  ;  for  we  were  in  a  place  where  scarcely  a  particle  of  grass 
could  be  obtained,  the  prairies  on  all  sides  having  been  burnt 
off  bare.  The  wind  was*  from  the  north,  and  by  the  following 
morning  it  was  freezing  cold.  So  much  of  the  sand  had  become 
deposited  by  this  time,  that  the  atmosphere  was  somewhat  clear, 
and  travelling  was  practicable,  especially  as  the  wind  was  not 
directly  in  our  face. 

We  were  at  this  time  in  a  buffalo  country.  In  passing  a 
place  at  which  a  large  body  of  Indians  had  encamped,  some 
time  before,  we  noticed  a  great  many  buffalo  skulls,  which  had 
been  laid  together.  The  Pawnees,  Otoes,  Omahas,  and  some 
others  who  hunt  the  buffalo  extensively,  believe  in  charms,  by 
which  their  huntings  are  rendered  successful.  Some  of  these 
consist  in  collecting  skulls,  and  disposing  of  them  in  certain 
modes.  Placed  in  a  certain  manner,  they  will  bring  the  buffalo 
to  the  company,  when  likely  to  suffer  from  unsuccessful  hunting; 
in  some  other  order,  they  will  produce  some  other  equally  de 
sirable  effect.  The  collection  of  skulls  which  we  saw  had,  no 


INDIAN   MISSIONS.  4  1   t 

doubt,  been  brought  together  under  some  such  superstitious 
notion. 

The  sand  beaches  along  the  Kauzau  river  and  some  of  its 
tributaries,  and  some  low  grounds  in  prairies,  were,  at  this  time, 
while  with  salt,  cbrystallized  by  the  sun.  On  the  Solomon 
river,  a  middle  branch  of  the  Kauzau,  is  a  salt  spring,  which  is 
a  great  natural  curiosity.  About  one  hundred  yards  from  the 
bank  of  the  river,  in  an  extensive  level  prairie,  is  a  mound  of 
stone,  formed  by  a  deep  ravine  which  surrounds  it;  it  is  one 
hundred  and  seventy  yards  in  circumference  at  its  base,  and  it 
rises  above  the  bottom  of  the  ravine  thirty  feet,  and  is  level  on 
the  top,  with  a  diameter  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet.  The 
ravine,  on  one  side,  is  about  forty  yards  wide,  and  on  thfe  other 
ten.  The  summit  of  the  mound  is  about  a  foot  and  a  half  higher 
than  the  adjacent  plain.  No  stone  of  any  kind  is  seen  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  place,  except  that  which  composes  the  mound, 
which  appears  to  be  a  secondary,  shelly,  and  porous  limestone. 
The  sides  of  the  mound,  being  stone,  form  a  striking  contrast 
with  the  outer  bank  of  the  ravine,  which  is  only  earth.  The 
salt  water  forms  a  stagnant  pool  in  the  centre  of  the  mound, 
fifty-five  feet  in  diameter,  and  rising  to  a  perfect  level  with  the 
summit,  so  that  a  wind  from  any  quarter  causes  the  water  to  run 
over  the  opposite  side  of  the  basin.  About  half-way  up  one 
side  issues  salt  water,  which  runs  off  in  a  small  rivulet  into  Solo 
mon  river.  Along  this  rivulet,  and  generally  on  the  sides  of  the 
mound,  salt  is  chrystallized  in  such  quantities  that  it  might  be 
collected  for  use.  The  pool  on  the  top  is  deep.  Solomon 
river  is,  by  the  Kauzaus,  called  Nepaholla — meaning,  water  on 
the  hill — and  derives  its  name  from  this  fountain  ;  but  the  foun 
tain  itself  is  by  them  called  Ne  Woh'kon'daga — that  is,  "Spirit 
water."  The  Kauzaus,  Pawnees,  and  other  tribes,  in  passing 
by  this  spring,  usually  throw  into  it,  as  a  kind  of  conjuring 
charm,  some  small  article  of  value. 

The  structure  of  the  mound  may  be  accounted  for,  by  sup 
posing  that  the  source  of  the  water  at  a  distance  is  higher  than 
the  plain  which  immediately  surrounds  the  mound.  The  qual 
ity  of  the  water  has  produced  the  rock  formation,  and  the  resort 
of  buffalo  and  other  animals,  and  the  descent  of  rains,  have 
formed  the  ravine  around  it. 

We  have  elsewhere  expressed  the  opinion  *  that  a  fair  com 
parison  of  language,  and  of  modes  of  thinking,  would  result  in 
favour  of  the  supposition  that  the  tribes  had  all  originally  sprung 
from  the  same  root.  In  the  name  given  by  the  Kauzaus,  and 

*  Introductory  remarks,  page  17. 


412 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


other  tribes  indigenous  to  this  country,  to  this  fountain,  and  their 
superstitious  veneration  for  it,  there  is  a  striking  coincidence  of 
thought  with  the  tribes  originally  resident  eastward ;  the  Dela- 
wares,  for  instance,  who  lived  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  and 
who  were  unknown  to  the  Kauzaus  until  lately.  The  singular 
ity  of  this  fountain  would  have  induced  the  Delawares,  or  any 
other  of  the  Eastern  tribes,  to  call  it  "  Spirit  water."  The 
Putawatomies,  for  instance,  would  call  it  Minato-n'beesh,  and, 
on  passing  it,  would  make  some  offering. 

On  account  of  the  grass  on  the  prairies  being  so  generally 
burnt,  it  was  difficult  for  us  to  get  our  horses  back  into  the  set 
tlements,  one  of  which  was  left  to  perish  with  hunger.  After 
we  turned  to  come  in,  we  were  twenty  days  in  reaching  the 
State  of  Missouri. 

Early  in  the  year  1829,  we  had  made  a  proposal  to  the  Gov 
ernment  to  establish  a  mission  among  the  Kauzau  Indians.  As 
we  passed  towards  home,  I  called  on  the  agent  for  that  tribe, 
General  M.  G.  Clark,  and  conferred  with  him  in  relation  to  our 
designs  and  plans.  Here  was,  and  still  is,  a  favourable  open 
ing  for  usefulness.  We  could  have  obtained  some  help  from 
the  Government  towards  the  support  of  the  mission,  and  per 
haps  nearly  the  whole  cost ;  but  we  have  not  yet  found  a  mis 
sionary  to  labour  there  !  I  returned  to  my  family  in  Fayette, 
Missouri,  the  28th  of  November.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lykins  were 
still  absent  in  the  lake  country,  looking  after  missionary  matters 
there. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Journey  to  Washington.  Origin  of  missions  among  the  Choc- 
taws.  Station  established  among  the  Shawanoes.  Difficult 
journey  to  Arkansas.  Councils  with  Cherokees  and  Creeks. 
Exploration.  Severe  storm.  Alarm  given  the  Osages. 
Sickness  and  deaths.  Origin  of  the  church  among  the 
Creeks.  Exploration.  Massacre  of  Delawares.  Journey 
to  Missouri.  Location  among  the  Shawanoes.  Mission 
aries  to  Sault  de  St.  Marie.  Journey  to  Washington* 
Address  to  the  'public. 

On  the  30th  of  December,  1830, 1  again  left  home,  and  on  the 
29th  of  January,  1831,  t  arrived  at  Washington.  This  journey, 
six  or  seven  hundred  miles  of  which  had  to  be  made  on  horse- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


413 


back,  was  unpleasant.  The  cold  and  fatigue  were  more  than  a 
slender  constitution  could  bear,  and  I  was  some  days  confined 
by  indisposition,  and  under  medical  treatment.  On  this,  as  on 
former  occasions,  I  was  much  favoured  by  men  in  authority,  in 
being  allowed  to  plead  with  them  in  behalf  of  the  Indians,  and 
to  employ  my  pen  as  well  as  my  tongue.  At  this  session,  also, 
thousands  petitioned  Congress  in  favour,  as  they  supposed,  of 
the  Indians;  but  their  policy, as  others  confidently  believed,  and 
as  facts  suhsequently  manifested,  was  directly  opposite  to  the 
interests  of  the  Indians. 

1  left  Washington  on  the  21st  of  March,  1831,  and  returned 
to  my  family  in  Missouri  the  8th  of  April.  I  reached  home 
barely  in  time  to  allow  an  infant  son  to  die  in  my  arms,  whom 
we  buried  on  the  following  day.  The  expenses  of  this  journey, 
and  of  the  maintenance  of  my  own  and  Mr.  Lykins's  family, 
were  paid  out  of  rny  earnings  from  Government;  but  this  source 
of  support  having  failed,  by  the  expiration  of  my  commission, 
some  time  since,  I  found  myself  in  debt  beyond  my  means, 
while  Mr.  Lykins  was  still  absent  at  the  stations  of  Carey  and 
Thomas,  and  it  was  uncertain  what  his  necessities  would  require. 
Under  these  circumstances,  it  was  natural  to  feel  uneasy.  Not 
many  weeks  afterwards,  the  board  made  a  liberal  yearly  allow 
ance  for  the  support  of  Mr.  Lykins;  and  another  commission, 
which  would  produce  a  living,  was  forwarded  to  me  from  the 
Secretary  of  War. 

Our  plan  was  for  me  to  locate  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
Indian  territory,  and  Mr.  Lykins  in  the  northern.  The  board 
directed  him  to  bestow  such  attention  upon  the  matters  of  the 
Carey  station,  and  its  removal  to  the  West,  as  circumstances 
should  require,  and,  as  soon  as  convenient,  to  locate  among  the 
Shawanoes  in  the  Indian  territory,  agreeably  to  the  arrangement 
made  with  them  and  their  agent  in  1830. 

I  was  required  by  the  commission  to  explore  the  Indian  coun 
try  west  of  the  State  of  Missouri  and  Territory  of  Arkansas,  as 
far  west  as  it  was  habitable,  with  referenee  to  the  permanent  set 
tlement  of  Indians  therein  ;  to  adjust  the  boundaries  of  tribes  in 
some  instances,  and  to  cause  actual  surveys  to  be  made  in  others. 
For  the  performance  of  the  latter,  I  was  at  liberty  to  appoint 
two  assistant  surveyors.  This  commission  afforded  me  an  op 
portunity  of  exerting  a  greater  influence  on  such  Indian  affairs 
as  were  of  importance  in  regard  to  their  future  prosperity,  than 
any  other  that  could  have  been  given  me. 

Some  time  before  this,  a  treaty  had  been  made  with  the  Choc- 
taws,  by  which  they  were  entitled  to  a  given  amount  annually, 


414 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


for  tho  support  of  schools  in  their  country,  to  be  under  the  su 
pervision  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  The  De 
partment  of  Indian  Affairs  had  directed  that  three  of  these 
schools  should  be  of  a  higher  order  than  common,  with  a  salary 
to  each  teacher  of  $833  per  annum  ;  but  nothing  had  yet  been 
done  towards  bringing  them  into  operation.  While  I  was  at 
Washington  the  last  time,  the  Honourable  John  H.  Eaton,  Secre 
tary  of  War,  informed  me  of  the  design  of  the  Department  in 
relation  to  them,  and  offered  me  a  situation  in  connection  with 
this  matter,  and  assured  me  that  if  the  salary  allowed  for  the 
office  should  be  inadequate,  there  would  be  special  duties  as 
signed  me,  for  the  discharge  of  which  I  should  be  paid,  so  that 
a  competent  salary  would  be  ensured.  This  situation  would 
have  afforded  me  a  quiet  home  in  the  Indian  country,  at  which 
1  could  have  enjoyed  the  society  of  my  family,  and  have  em 
ployed  all  my  time  in  labours  comparatively  light,  and  congenial 
to  the  desires  of  a  Christian  missionary;  nevertheless,  I  felt  it 
to  be  my  duty  to  decline  the  appointment.  The  fast  and  most 
important  of  all  matters  in  relation  to  Indian  reform,  at  that  time, 
appeared  to  be  the  judicious  location  and  permanent  settlement 
of  all  the  tribes,  where  they  could  "  sit  under  their  own  vine 
and  fig  tree  without  fear."  Without  this,  the  success  of  future 
missionary  labours  would  be  rendered  precarious ;  and  to  pro 
mote  this  permanent  location  had  been  a  prominent  object  of 
our  labours  for  the  preceding  eight  or  nine  years.  I  saw  none 
among  the  benevolent  of  any  denomination  willing  to  take  hold 
of  this  part  of  the  work  of  Indian  reform  ;  and  under  these  cir 
cumstances  I  could  not  innocently  abandon  it.  Yet  my  labours 
in  this  department  were  not  in  accordance  with  my  natural  tem 
perament,  nor  congenial  to  my  feelings  as  a  Christian.  They 
were,  moreover,  arduous,  and  attended  with  great  privation  ;  and 
withal  my  appointments  were  merely  temporary,  so  that  I  had 
no  certain  income  for  support.  But  I  supposed  that  strength 
would  be  proportioned  to  the  work,  and  that  He  who  fed  the 
fowls  of  heaven  would  give  us  bread.  Though  I  deemed  it  not 
expedient  to  locate  in  the  Choctaw  country  myself,  I  made  ef 
forts  to  introduce  others.  The  subject  was  without  delay  brought 
to  the  consideration  of  the  board,  and  this  was  the  origin  of  Bap 
tist  missions  to  that  tribe,  of  which  we  shall  speak  hereafter. 

Among  other  acts  of  the  Secretary  of  War  with  which  I 
was  gratified,  was  his  consent  that  a  tract  of  suitable  dimen 
sions,  and  in  a  central  situation,  should  be  reserved  for  the  seat 
of  government  of  the  Indian  territory,  on  which  individuals  of 
any  tribe  might  reside 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


415 


My  first  business  led  me  into  the  southern  part  of  the  Indian 
country,  three  hundred  miles,  through  a  wilderness,  from  Fay- 
ette.     I  appointed  Mr.   John  Donelson,  nephew   of  the  then 
recently  deceased  Mrs.  Jackson,  of  the  Hermitage,  and  my  son, 
Doctor  R.  McCoy,  assistants.     The  latter  accompanied  us  on 
our  wilderness  journey,  which  we  commenced  on   the  6th  of 
June,  1831.    Mr.  Lykins  had  not  yet  returned  from  Carey,  but 
to  our  great  joy  he  overtook  us  on  the  morning  of  the  second 
day.    Having  halted,  and  spent  the  day  and  night  together,  ar 
ranging  matters  for  future  operations,  on  the  following  day  he 
left  us  for  the  field  of  his  labours.     Heavy  rains  fell,  and  made 
our  travelling  and  encamping  at  night  unpleasant  and  dangerous 
to  health,  especially  the  health  of  Mrs,  McCoy  and  our  little 
children.      Our    seventh   day's  journey  brought  us   to   Grand 
river,  which,  though  usually  fordable,  was  not  so  at  this  time. 
The  only  method  by  which  we  could  possibly  prosecute  our 
journey,  was  to  make  a  canoe  of  a  large  tree.    With  all  the  in 
dustry  we  could  employ,  we  commenced  in  the  afternoon,  and 
by  twelve  o'clock  on  the  following  day  we  had  our  canoe  in  the 
river.     It  was,  indeed,  a  clumsy,  and  not  a  very  safe  boat,  and 
we  had  some  narrow  escapes  from  drowning  when  we  were  cross 
ing  this  rapid  current.     Our  stock  of  horses  and  cattle,  some  of 
which  had  to  be  held  by  the  side  of  our  canoe,  were  made  to 
swim  through.     In  twenty-four  hours  we  had  all  crossed.     On 
the  15th  of  June  we  reached  Harmony  mission,  on  the  bank  of 
the  Osage  river.     Here  we  swam  our  stock  across,  and  procuring 
a  very  small  canoe,  we  fastened  logs  on  each  side,  and  con 
structed  a  kind  of  raft,  on  which,  by  several  passages,  we  carried 
over  our  persons,  carriages,  and  baggage.     The  missionaries  at 
this  station  were  the  Reverend  Mr.  Jones,  Mr.  Austin,  and  Mr. 
Bright.    They  were  all  pious  good  men,  and  1  was  extremely 
sorry  to  find  them  all  opposed  to  the  colonization  of  the  Indians. 
I  could  not  believe  that  they  judged  for  themselves,  but  I  sup 
posed  that  their  opinions  had  been  prompted  by  their  patrons, 
the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 
The  16th  of  June  was  a  day  of  much  rain,  and  we  were  com 
pelled  to  spend  the  night  in  the  open  prairie,  where  it  was  diffi 
cult  to  find  within  reach  of  us  wood  sufficient  for  a  small  fire,  and 
for  poles  on  which  to  stretch  our  tents.     The  earth  was  filled, 
and  in  many  places  overflowed  with  water,  and  the  grass  a  foot 
and  a  half  high.     Under  such  circumstances,  the  prospect,  as 
night  approached,  of  providing  comfortable  lodgings  for  a  family, 
was  rather  gloomy. 

At  Little  Osage  river,  on  the  17th,  we  again  had  to  construct 


416 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


a  raft,  by  fastening  logs  to  the  side  of  a  small  canoe.  Ten  miles 
further,  at  Marmaton  river,  on  the  18th,  we  met  with  similar  ob 
structions,  which  were  overcame  by  the  same  means.  This 
method  of  ferrying  was  extremely  troublesome.  Our  carriages 
had  to  be  taken  to  pieces,  and  only  a  small  weight  could  be  car 
ried  across  at  a  time,  while  the  currents  of  these  small  rivers, 
enlarged  by  rains,  were  violent.  Near  the  Osage  villages  we 
called  on  the  Reverend  Mr.  Dodge,  a  missionary,  who  had  not 
long  before  come  out  from  the  Harmony  station,  and  who  had 
erected  here  pretty  comfortable  buildings.  He  preached  by  an 
interpreter ;  he  was  a  pious  good  man,  but  was  unsuccessful  in 
this  undertaking ;  and  after  spending  two  or  three  years  at  that 
place,  abandoned  it,  and  retired  from  missionary  labours. 

On  account  of  deep  water,  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that 
we  crossed  the  Neosho  river  into  the  principal  village  of  the 
Osages;  men,  women,  and  children,  came  about  us  in  such 
crowds,  that  it  was  difficult  to  make  our  way  through  them.  The 
poor  creatures  were  constantly  importuning  for  something,  but  we 
could  not  grant  their  entreaties  beyond  the  distribution  of  some 
tobacco,  which  I  had  taken  with  me  for  such  occasions.  We  em 
ployed  one  of  them  to  accompany  us  the  remainder  of  the  day, 
to  assist  in  preventing  others  from  purloining.  As  we  moved  off 
from  the  village,  which  we  did  with  as  little  delay  as  possible, 
every  now  and  then,  an  Indian,  by  a  severe  race,  would  over 
take  us.  In  order  to  get  rid  of  him,  we  would  give  him  a  piece 
of  tobacco,  and  our  assistant  Indian  would  employ  his  powers  of 
reasoning  in  our  favour.  As  we  receded,  these  unwelcome  calls 
became  less  frequent ;  and  when  our  helper  was  left  alone  with 
us,  he  enjoyed  himself  well,  and  was  satisfied  with  the  reward 
we  gave  him  for  his  services.  A  heavy  rain  added  nothing  to 
the  convenience  of  encamping,  or  the  comfort  of  lodging  in 
open  prairie. 

June  23d,  we  were  obstructed  by  the  deep  water  of  a  creek, 
and  were  overtaken  by  a  heavy  thunder  storm,  which  lasted 
during  the  day  and  the  following  night.  We  found  it  impossible 
to  keep  dry;  the  rain  beat  through  upon  us ;  and  though  we 
ditched  around  our  tents,  the  water,  which  lay  several  inches 
deep,  continued  to  flow  in.  This  was  the  most  distressing  time 
on  account  of  rain  that  we  had  ever  experienced  in  our  journey- 
ings  iii  the  wilderness.  On  the  following  day  Doctor  R.  Mc 
Coy  and  one  of  our  hands  swam  across  the  creek,  and  on  a  raft 
we  had  constructed  of  logs,  their  saddles,  &ic.,  were  taken  over. 
They  proceeded  twelve  miles  down  the  river  to  a  trading-house, 
in  the  hope  of  obtaining  a  canoe,  which  might  be  brought  up  to 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


417 


our  assistance,  but  were  disappointed.  After  remaining  in  this 
unpleasant  situation  more  than  two  days,  we  were  compelled  to 
turn  off  into  the  pathless  wilderness,  to  ascend  the  creek  so  near  to 
its  source  that  it  might  be  passed.  We  found  a  place  which  did 
not  quite  swim  our  horses,  but  the  bank  was  so  steep  that  thfc 
carriages  had  to  be  unladed  and  let  down  with  ropes.  The  men 
were  several  hours  in  the  water  before  we  got  all  across.  The 
exposures  of  the  journey  had  overcome  my  strength,  and  I  was 
about  this  time  a  good  deal  indisposed,  and  scarcely  able  to 
travel. 

On  the  26th  of  June  we  were  again  stopped  by  high  water, 
and  we  had  no  alternative  but  to  wait  until  it  fell.  We  made  a 
raft  of  logs,  sufficient  to  bear  a  couple  of  saddles,  and  the  Doctor 
and  one  of  our  hired  men  again  swam  across,  and  proceeded  to 
Fort  Gibson,  forty  miles,  to  put  things  in  readiness  for  future 
operations.  We  lay  at  this  place  two  days,  and  then  drove 
through  the  creek  when  the  water  was  so  deep  that'  it  run  into 
our  carriages,  the  men  wading  and  guiding  them,  to  prevent  them 
from  capsizing.  Twice  afterwards  we  had  to  leave  the  road,  to 
head  creeks  that  were  too  deep  to  be  forded. 

At  Union  mission  establishment  we  hired  a  house  for  the  ac 
commodation  of  the  family,  and  were  happy  to  be  in  com 
fortable  lodgings  again,  after  an  unpleasant  journey  of  twenty- 
three  days.  The  Reverend  Mr.  Vail,  Reverend  Mr.  Mont 
gomery,  Doctor  G.  L.  Weed,  and  Mr.  Redfield,  of  this  mission, 
were  liberal-minded  Christians;  and  when  I  was  at  the  place 
often  afforded  me  the  privilege  of  preaching. 

I  made  a  journey  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles,  and  on  the  6th  of 
June  met  the  agent  for  the  Cherokees,  Captain  G.  Vashon,  and 
twenty-five  Cherokee  chiefs  and  principal  men,  with  whom  an 
adjustment  was  made  of  an  unsettled  boundary,  and  an  under 
standing  had  that  they  would  send  some  of  their  people  to  at 
tend  the  surveying  of  the  lines  of  their  country.  Having  stop 
ped  in  the  woods  to  prepare  our  breakfasts,  on  the  morning  of 
the  6th,  I  was  stung  on  the  end  of  a  finger  by  a  scorpion,  the 
first  I  had  seen.  I  desired  my  servant  to  scarify  the  place  with 
my  penknife,  which  he  appearing  unwilling  to  do,  it  was  omit 
ted.  I  kept  my  finger  wrapped  in  wet  tobacco,  and  the  pain 
and  soreness  nearly  disappeared  in  the  course  of  twenty-four 
hours.  Early  on  the  following  morning  a  negro  boy  was  bitten 
on  the  great  toe  by  a  rattlesnake.  In  the  space  of  three  or  four 
minutes  the  pain  and  swelling  had  extended  to  the  body.  His 
master,  a  Cherokee,  desired  me  to  prescribe.  I  scarified  about 
the  wound,  and  rubbed  so  as  to  bring  blood  pretty  freely ;  after 
53 


418 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


which  I  wrapped  it  in  tobacco  kept  moist,  and  bathed  it  in  salt 
and  water  for  some  time,  rubbing  the  member  incessantly  down 
wards  from  the  body.  In  the  course  of  two  hours  the  violence 
of  the  symptoms  had  abated,  and  the  patient  suffered  very  little 
afterwards. 

A  few  weeks  after  this,  I  was  stung  by  a  scorpion,  near  the 
root  of  the  nail  of  a  great  toe.  In  this  case,  the  application  of 
tobacco  to  the  wound  proved  too  inefficient.  In  a  few  minutes 
after  the  wound  was  inflicted,  I  felt  the  effects  on  my  lips  and 
the  end  of  my  tongue,  and  became  very  sick  at  the  stomach.  A 
local  application  and  an  internal  use  was  made  of  the  spirits  of 
hartshorn.  I  lay  as  quietly  as  possible  about  seven  hours,  when, 
on  attempting  to  rise,  I  found  that  I  could  not  control  the  joints 
of  my  lower  limbs.  It  was  two  or  three  days  before  I  reco 
vered.  :^  ••: 

On  the  8th  of  July  I  had  a  council  with  about  fifty  Creeks, 
in  the  presence  of  their  agent,  General  John  Campbell.  On  the 
9th  of  July,  with  the  two  assistants,  Mr.  Donelson  and  Dr.  Mc 
Coy,  I  left  my  family,  for  a  tour  in  the  wilderness.  Our  second 
son  was  sick  with  ague  and  fever,  and  our  youngest  with  bilious 
fever.  I  separated  from  the  two  assistant  surveyors  on  the 
18th  of  July,  at  which  time  Dr.  McCoy  was  so  much  indis 
posed  that  1  regretted  the  necessity  of  leaving  him.  He  grew 
worse,  and  about  a  week  afterwards  he  started  for  home,  which, 
in  six  days,  he  reached  almost  exhausted. 

With  a  hired  coloured  man,  and  for  interpreter  a  half  breed 
Osage,  whose  English  name  was  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  I  pro 
ceeded  from  the  camp  of  the  surveyors  on  a  tour  of  exploration, 
with  the  view  of  ascertaining  the  suitableness  of  the  country 
for  the  location  of  the  Chickasaws,  and  for  other  purposes  in 
relation  to  Indian  settlement.  The  horse-flies  are  sometimes 
exceedingly  troublesome  on  the  waters  of  the  Arkansas,  and  on 
account  of  them  travellers  frequently  lie  by  during  the  day,  and 
travel  at  night.  Never  before  this  time  had  I  felt  any  fear  that 
flies  would  really  kill  horses,  as  had  been  reported.  Most  of 
our  travelling  was  in  prairie,  where  they  were  worse  than  in  the 
woodlands.  We  fastened  vines  and  small  boughs  of  shrubbery 
behind  and  before  the  saddles,  to  keep  them  off,  but  wherever  a 
part  of  the  poor  suffering  animal  remained  uncovered,  flies 
would  fasten  in  swarms. 

Two  or  three  hours  before  night,  on  the  21st  of  July,  it 
commenced  raining.  We  turned  down  a  valley,  for  the  purpose 
of  finding  timber  in  which  we  might  encamp  for  the  night,  but 
could  reach  only  a  cluster  of  plum  bushes  and  other  shrubbery, 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  419 

covering  about  half  an  acre  of  land.  The  small  ravine  which 
passed  through  it  had  very  little  water  in  it,  and  this  was  stag 
nant.  We  pitched  our  tent  immediately  on  the  bank,  and 
kindled  a  fire  amidst  a  heavy  fall  of  rain.  Refreshed  by  a  warm 
supper,  and  somewhat  sheltered  by  our  tent,  we  esteemed  our 
condition  comparatively  comfortable.  Though  the  rain  de 
scended  like  a  torrent,  we  rested  well  until  about  one  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  when  I  discovered  that  the  water  was  coming  un 
der  us.  I  removed  to  another  side  of  the  tent,  but  before  I 
could  adjust  my  blankets,  I  discovered  that  the  little  stream,  on 
the  bank  of  which  we  lay,  was  rapidly  overflowing  our  sleeping 
place.  I  caught  up  my  gun,  saddlebags,  and  other  articles  of 
most  value,  as  much  as  I  could  carry,  and  left  the  place  for 
higher  land,  directing  the  other  two  to  follow  as  fast  as  possible 
with  what  they  could  carry.  It  was  excessively  dark,  and  the 
quick  flashing  lightning  was  our  only  lantern.  We  waded 
through  water  half  leg  deep  on  to  the  prairie,  where  we  placed 
in  a  heap  the  articles  we  had  brought.  I  remained,  to  endea 
vour  to  save  them  as  much  as  possible  from  wet,  and  hurried 
the  men  back  for  other  articles,  but  the  water  rose  so  fast  that 
several  were  lost.  Our  horses  happened  to  be  near,  and  by  the 
time  we  could  loose  the  hobbles  from. their  legs  and  mount  them, 
not  even  waiting  to  girth  our  saddles,  the  water  was  again  rising 
around  us.  The  land  for  some  distance  was  nearly  level.  Be 
tween  a  fourth  and  half  a  mile  we  found  a  slight  elevation  in 
the  open  prairie,  where  we  again  stacked  our  baggage,  and  I 
seated  myself  upon  it,  and  required  the  men  to  place  blankets 
around  me,  by  which  the  few  articles  which  were  still  dry  might 
be  preserved  from  the  water,  and  by  which  my  chilliness  might 
be  mitigated.  Stephen  and  the  black  man  wrapped  themselves 
in  their  blankets,  and  got  on  the  baggage,  to  keep  out  of  the 
water,  but  by  this  time  we  were  all  thoroughly  drenched.  The 
rain  continued  to  pour  down  in  torrents,  and  the  thunder  pealed 
with  fearful  rapidity. 

When  day  appeared,  Stephen  and  the  black  man  were  so 
benumbed  with  the  wet  and  cold  that  it  required  a  considerable 
effort  on  my  part  to  arouse  them  to  action.  We  had  lost  seve 
ral  articles  almost  indispensable  in  travelling  in  the  wilderness, 
and  most  of  our  provisions  for  food  were  damaged.  Timber 
was  to  be  seen  at  a  distance,  but  being  invariably  on  low  ground, 
we  were  unable  to  reach  it,  as  the  creeks  and  hollows  were  now 
"filled  with  water  too  deep  to  be  crossed  with  our  horses.  On 
account  of  the  rain  from  above,  and  the  deep  waters  we  rode 
through,  I  frequently  alighted  to  empty  the  water  out  of  my 


420 


HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 


boots.  Becoming  very  much  chilled  by  being  so  long  wet,  I 
doubled  a  piece  of  flannel  which  I  had  contrived  to  keep  dry 
in  my  saddlebags,  and  placing  it  on  my  stomach,  derived  great 
benefit  from  the  warmth  it  afforded. 

We  rode  five  hours  before  we  could  reach  timber,  where  we 
could  make  a  fire  to  dry  ourselves,  and  to  our  grief,  when  we 
reached  the  wood,  it  was  in  bottom  land,  a  foot  and  a  half,  or 
deeper,  under  water;  we  therefore  had  to  wade  in  the  water  for 
wood,  and  having  lost  our  axe  the  previous  night,  it  was  not  an 
easy  matter  to  find  within  our  reach  dead  limbs  of  trees  which 
we  could  break  with  our  hands  for  fuel.  We  collected  some, 
and  retired  to  an  elevation  in  the  prairie,  and  kindled  a  fire. 
The  rain  had  ceased,  and  we  here  warmed  and  refreshed  our 
selves  with  food,  after  which  we  proceeded  a  short  distance,  and 
were  again  stopped  by  a  deep  creek,  which,  having  slept  on 
the  bank  during  the. night,  we  found  fordable  on  the  following 
morning.  By  a  great  effort  we  reached  the  house  of  the  mis 
sionary,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dodge,  in  the  evening.  Here  we  were 
allowed  to  dry  our  baggage  and  assort  our  provision,  much  of 
which  we  had  lost. 

Sabbath,  July  24th,  I  accompanied  Mr.  Dodge,  and,  through 
his  kindness,  preached  to  about  forty  Osages,  Stephen  interpret 
ing  both  the  discourse  and  the  prayer.  In  the  afternoon  I 
preached  in  English  at  Mr.  Dodge's,  which  was,  by  him,  re 
peated,  through  an  interpreter,  to  some  Osages  present. 

July  25th,  we  replenished  our  stock  of  provisions  and  re 
paired  some  other  damages  which  we  had  sustained  by  the  late 
freshet,  and,  at  the  Osage  agency,  received  an  escort  from  Fort 
Gibson,  sent  at  my  request  by  General  M.  Arbuckle,  consisting 
of  twenty-five  soldiers,  commanded  by  Captain  Hawkins,  and 
attended  by  Dr.  Baylor. 

We  had  proceeded  from  camp  only  about  two  miles,  on  the 
28th  of  July,  when  we  halted,  on  account  of  a  sick  soldier. 
We  had  been  discovered  at  a  distance  by  some  of  the  Osages, 
who  foolishly  imagined  that  we  might  be  a  war  party  of  Paw 
nees.  We  had  not  stopped  an  hour  with  our  sick  man,  when 
between  one  and  two  hundred  Osage  warriors,  naked,  and 
armed  for  battle,  came  rushing  after  us.  They  took  advantage 
of  a  rise  of  land,  by  which  means  to  approach  us  as  near  as  pos 
sible  without  being  discovered  ;  and  when  they  discovered  who 
we  were,  they  ran  to  us  at  full  speed,  hallooing  at  the  highest 
pitch  of  the  voice,  and  seemed  overjoyed  that  they  had  an  op 
portunity  of  shaking  hands  instead  of  scalping.  They  crowded 
thick  about  us,  and  inquired  for  the  chief  of  our  party.  A 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


421 


chief  instantly  told  me  to  require  our  people  to  take  care  of. 
their  baggage,  lest  some  of  his  should  steal  something.  This 
precaution  I  had  taken  as  they  approached,  and  had  directed 
my  two  men  to  stack  our  baggage  and  stand  over  it.  I  had 
previously  desired  to  proceed,  and  thought  the  case  of  the  sick 
soldier  was  not  one  that  made  it  really  necessary  for  us  to  lie 
by;  but  I  had  yielded  to  the  wish  of  others,  who  felt  less 
anxious  to  go  forward  than  1  did  ;  but  in  this  matter  my  mind 
was  soon  relieved.  A  very  few  minutes  after  the  Indians  had 
mixed  up  with  us,  a  soldier  complained  that  his  rammer  had 
been  stolen,  another  cried  out  that  the  cartridges  had  been  taken 
out  of  his  box  which  was  swung  behind  him,  another  com 
plained  of  the  loss  of  something  else,  and  so  on  until  all  appeared 
as  willing  to  proceed  as  I  had  been  before  the  Indians  came  to 
us.  While  the  uncouth  appearance  of  these  savage  warriors 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  men,  the  shrewd  rogues  improved 
the  opportunity  of  purloining  small  articles  which  could  be  con 
cealed.  I  complained  to  the  principal  chief  that  his  people 
were  not  treating  our  men  well,  and  desired  him  to  endeavour 
to  recover  the  stolen  property,  and  to  prevent  future  depreda 
tions.  This  he  did,  and  several  articles  of  small  value,  though 
of  much  use  to  our  party,  were  restored. 

On  the  6th  of  August- we  turned  towards  Fort  Gibson.  On 
the  10th,  my  coloured  man  sickened,  and  it  was  with  some  diffi 
culty  that  I  took  him  into  our  home.  He  was  frequently  com 
pelled  to  lie  down  on  the  earth  and  rest.  On  the  12th,  we 
halted  at  an  Osage  village,  the  French  name  of  the  principal 
chief  of  which  was  Cleremont.  Here  we  had  a  brief  council, 
and  I  distributed  some  tobacco.  The  Osage  huts  are  crowded 
closely  together  in  their  villages,  and  the  filth  in  and  about  their 
towns  is  exceedingly  unpleasant,  especially  in  warm  weather. 
My  horses  had  failed,  and  Stephen  had  been  obliged  to  walk  a 
part  of  the  time.  Tired  of  this  mode  of  travelling,  though  he 
had  not  previously  complained,  he  remained  with  his  people  at 
the  village. 

Near  midnight  of  the  same  day  I  entered  my  own  door,  and 
to  my  grief  was  informed  that  our  dear  little  Charles,  whom  I 
had  left  sick,  had  expired  on  the  21st  of  July.  I  was  not  at 
home  when  he  came  into  the  world,  and  I  was  absent  when  he 
left  it.  He  was  four  years  old,  and  was  the  sixth  child  that  had 
deceased  since  we  had  been  missionaries,  four  of  whom  had 
died  in  my  absence.  Of  Mrs.  McCoy's  trials,  none  can  so 
well  judge  as  a  bereaved  mother;  and  then  the  peculiar  circum 
stances  under  which  those  bereavements  occurred  should  be 


422 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


considered.  Dr.  McCoy  had  been  exceedingly  low,  and  was 
still  confined  to  his  bed.  The  health  of  our  second  son  had 
improved. 

Mr.  Lykins,  after  we  separated  from  him  in  Missouri,  took 
his  family  to  the  Shawanoe  settlements,  and  procured  for  them 
a  temporary  residence  in  the  house  of  the  sub-agent,  Major 
Campbell.  On  account  of  the  time  consumed  in  corresponding 
with  the  board  at  so  great  a  distance,  an  appropriation  to  enable 
him  to  erect  buildings  was  delayed  until  circumstances  com 
pelled  him  to  find  quarters  of  his  own.  A  serious  hinderance 
was  also  found  in  the  tardiness  of  the  movements  of  the  Shawa- 
noes,  especially  in  a  matter  in  which  they,  in  reality,  felt  little 
interest.  No  alternative  appeared  left  him  but  to  purchase  a 
small  tract  of  United  States'  land,  immediately  on  the  line  of 
the  State  of  Missouri,  and  put  up  buildings  at  his  own  cost. 
This  was  immediately  adjoining  the  Shawanoe  settlements. 

About  this  time  the  small-pox  appeared  among  the  Shawanoes 
and  Delawares,  and  Mr.  Lykins  was  enabled  to  afford  great 
relief  by  vaccination.  He  had  not  graduated  as  a  physician, 
but  his  reading,  and  the  practice  which  necessity  had  urged 
upon  him  in  our  remote  residences,  had  given  him  a  respectable 
reputation  as  a  physician. 

It  appeared  to  us,  at  this  time,  that  uncommonly  favourable 
opportunities  were  offered  to  the  Baptist  denomination  to  extend 
its  usefulness,  by  missionary  operations  among  the  Indians;  but 
the  subject  did  not  attract  the  notice,  or  elicit  the  interest,  that 
we  had  a  right  to  expect.  Indian  missions  were  invariably 
thrown  into  the  shade,  in  all  benevolent  operations.  It  was  a 
favourable  time,  because,  by  a  kind  of  common  consent,  a  home 
was  about  being  given  to  the  Indians,  where  the  labours  of  the 
missionary  would  not  be  interrupted  by  the  scattering  of  his 
flock.  They  who  from  office  were  required  to  take  part  in  the 
affairs  of  Government,  felt  that  the  policy  of  the  whites  bore 
hard  upon  the  natives,  and  had  denied  them  the  rights  to  which 
the  original  inhabitants  of  our  country  had  been  entitled.  The 
Indians  had  a  right  to  complain  of  the  past,  from  the  time  of 
their  first  acquaintance  with  white  men — to  feel  that  their  re 
moval  to  the  West  was  a  great  hardship,  and  to  distrust  the 
propositions  of  the  Government  in  future.  On  these  accounts, 
Government  would  have  favoured  any  plans  of  benevolence  by 
which  the  feelings  of  these  unfortunate  people  would  have  been 
soothed,  and  that  which  was  painful  to  them  rendered  easy. 
The  Baptists  had  been  placed  prominently  and  favourably 'be 
fore  the  Government,  in  relation  to  the  colonizing  of  the  Indians : 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


423 


so  that,  for  the  sake  of  carrying  out  its  plans,  the  Government 
would  have  given  them  a  full  share  of  its  patronage  in  support 
of  benevolent  operations.  The  board,  it  was  true,  had  been 
prevailed  upon  to  propose  to  the  Government  the  establishment 
of  a  mission  among  every  tribe  then  within  what  we  denomi 
nated  the  Indian  territory ;  but  this  they  had  done  more  through 
acquiescence  in  the  wishes  of  others,  than  from  the  impulse  of 
their  own  desires.  There  appeared  favourable  openings  for 
doing  good  in  most  of  the  tribes,  and,  in  relation  to  many  of 
them,  we  could  have  obtained  from  the  Government  all,  or 
nearly  all,  the  support  needed  for  the  missionaries ;  so  that,  in 
support  of  missions,  which  we  desired  to  multiply,  the  benevo 
lence  of  individuals  and  societies  would  have  been  but  lightly 
taxed.  But  so  little  was  said  by  the  board,  respecting  those 
points  which  would  produce  effect  on  the  public  mind,  that 
comparatively  little  was  known  and  felt  in  favour  of  Indian  mis 
sions,  within  the  sphere  of  the  influence  of  the  board,  and  few 
candidates  for  missionary  labours  came  forward  and  offered  for 
this  service.  Of  this  backwardness  of  the  board,  some  of  us 
often  complained.  The  answers  of  influential  members  of  the 
acting  board  were,  in  substance,  that  "  they  were  unwilling  to 
commit  themselves  upon  the  great  and  disputed  subject  of  In 
dian  emigration."  They  were  told  that  they  had  already  com 
mitted  themselves,  and  that  some  of  us  had,  from  the  first,  been 
avowed  advocates  of  the  measure ;  but  we  could  more  easily  get 
the  better  of  the  argument,  than  produce  a  different  practice, 
and  one  favourable  to  the  cause  of  Indian  reform.  The  board 
did  not  hesitate  to  publish  general  remarks  about  the  Indians, 
or  the  story  of  a  missionary  relative  to  his  local  operations  in 
teaching,  fee. ;  but  the  points  which  would  have  borne  with 
weight  upon  the  minds  of  such  as  desired  to  enter  a  missionary 
field  were  not  prominently  stated. 

The  impression  was  lamentably  extensive,  that  a  mal-admin- 
istration  of  public  affairs  had  introduced  some  new  system  of 
cruelty  towards  the  Indians,  and  that,  while  the  latter  were 
greatly  to  be  pitied,  they  could  not  be  helped  ;  "  their  council 
fires  were  expiring,"  and  the  people  perishing ;  hence,  candi 
dates  for  missionary  labours  were  inclined  to  seek  fields  which 
promised  a  more  fruitful  harvest. 

The  Secretary  of  War,  the  Hon.  John  H.  Eaton,  had  kindly 
consented  to  make  himself  pretty  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
our  wishes  in  regard  to  benevolent  labours  for  the  Indians,  &c., 
and  cherished  what  we  esteemed  to  be  correct  views  upon  the 
subject  of  Indian  reform,  and  was  influenced  by  a  praiseworthy 


424  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

disposition  to  promote  proper  measures.  About  this  time,  how 
ever,  he  resigned  his  secretaryship,  and  was  succeeded  in  office 
by  his  Excellency  Lewis  Cass,  late  Governour  of  Michigan  Ter 
ritory.  On  his  coming  into  office,  no  time  was  lost  in  laying 
before  him  our  plans  and  wishes  ;  in  doing  which,  copies  of  com 
munications  made  to  his  predecessor  were  brought  to  his  notice. 
Governour  Cass  had  a  kind  heart  in  relation  to  Indian  reform, 
but  a  doubting  head*  He  was  willing  the  experiment  should 
be  made,  because  it  was  the  offspring  of  benevolence ;  but  he 
believed  that,  after  all  that  could  be  done,  the  Indians  would 
ultimately  perish. 

Dr.  McCoy  was  still  confined  by  sickness,  when,  on  the  5th 
of  September,  1831,  his  brother,  who  had  taken  his  place  as 
assistant  surveyor,  and  Mr.  Donelson,  again  set  out  on  a  survey 
ing  tour,  on  which  I  accompanied  them.  We  were  also  accom 
panied  by  a  Cherokee,  whose  English  name  was  Little  John, 
who  had  been  commissioned  by  the  nation  to  attend  the  running 
of  some  of  their  boundary  lines. 

On  the  first  night  I  was  taken  sick  in  camp,  and  we  were 
compelled  to  lie  by  the  following  day  and  night.  We  had  much 
rain  upon  us,  which  occasioned  great  exposure  of  health.  On 
the  second  day  one  of  our  hands  sickened,  and  was  sent  back 
to  Our  house.  Several  others  at  divers  times  became  so  unwell 
as  to  require  the  use  of  physic.  September  the  llth,  Little 
John,  the  Cherokee  commissioner,  sickened.  About  the  time 
of  the  attack,  he  had  exposed  himself  much  by  remaining  long 
in  a  river  engaged  in  fishing,  chiefly  for  his  amusement.  In  the 
afternoon  of  the  16th,  he  died  in  our  camp,  and  on  the  follow 
ing  day  we  buried  him  in  the  wilderness.  With  some  inconve 
nience  we  were  able  to  excavate  the  earth,  and  instead  of  a 
coffin  we  split  timber,  and  placed  it  around  and  over  the  corpse, 
after  which  we  heaped  stones  upon  the  grave.  A  good  deal  of 
sympathy  was  manifested  by  our  men  on  this  occasion,  and  each 
seemed  to  desire  the  privilege  of  contributing  something  towards 
dressing  the  dead. 

In  my  absence,  Dr.  McCoy  had  so  far  recovered  his  health 
as  to  start  in  a  carriage  to  the  State  of  Missouri,  three  hundred 
miles  through  a  wilderness.  My  then  youngest  son  had  nar 
rowly  escaped  the  loss  of  life  by  a  fall  from  a  tree,  by  which 
he  broke  an  arm,  which  has  ever  since  been  partially  crippled. 
At  this  time  Mr.  William  Requa  and  Mr.  George  Requa,  both 
worthy  men,  were  occupying  a  missionary  station,  which  was  an 
appendage  of  the  Union  mission,  and  a  few  miles  from  it.  They 
very  properly  made  it  a  prominent  object  to  teach  the  Osages 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


425 


habits  of  industrv.  In  the  month  of  September,  I  applied  to 
the  Secretary  of  War  in  their  behalf,  and  desired  that  they  might 
be  appointed  agriculturists  for  the  Osages,  by  virtue  of  an  exist- 
ing  treaty.  Neither  the  success  of  this  application,  nor  the 
success  of  their  labours,  equalled  the  merit  of  those  pious 
Presbyterians ;  and  both  subsequently  retired  from  missionary 
labours. 

Some  of  the  Creeks  expressed  a  desire  that  a  Mr.  Redfield, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  Union  mission,  should  reside  among 
them  and  teach  a  school ;  it  was  also  hoped  that  some  religious 
benefits  would  result  from  his  labours.  The  United  States' 
agent  for  the  Creeks,  for  reasons  not  distinctly  understood,  was 
averse  to  the  location  of  Mr.  Redfield  in  the  Creek  country, 
unless  he  would  disconnect  himself  from  the  Union  mission — a 
requisition  with  which  it  was  not  convenient  for  Mr.  R.  to  com 
ply.  The  design  was  about  being  defeated,  when,  with  more 
success  than  had  attended  rny  good  will  towards  the  gentlemen 
Requas,  I  interposed,  and  to  the  agent  remonstrated  against  his 
unreasonable  demands.  The  result  was  the  establishment  of 
Mr.  Redfield  in  the  Creek  school.  It  was,  however,  not  long 
before  he  retired,  and  was  succeeded  by  Doctor  Weed,  a  worthy 
man,  also  from  Union  mission.  He  was  for  a  year  or  two  physi 
cian  for  the  Creeks,  when  he  retired  from  missionary  labours, 
and  was  succeeded  by  the  Reverend  Mr.  Fleming,  who,  some 
time  after,  abandoned  the  station  altogether. 

John  Davis  was  a  full  blooded  Muscogee,  (Creek,)  who  had 
become  a  pious  member  of  a  Baptist  church,  on  the  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  had  there  commenced  exhortation  and  preach 
ing.  He  had  emigrated  with  his  people  to  the  Arkansas,  in 
1829.  In  December,  1830,  the  Baptist  board  of  missions  took, 
him  under  its  patronage,  and  gave  him  a  small  salary  of  two 
hundred  dollars  a  year,  to  aid  him  in  doing  good  to  his  people. 
On  coming  into  the  Arkansas  country  we  found  him  preaching 
to  his  people,  and  piously  labouring  to  teach  them  the  way  to 
heaven,  though  he  had  not  yet  even  been  licensed  by  a  Baptist 
church  to  preach  the  gospel.  There  were  some  five  or  six 
Baptists  in  that  country,  all  of  whom,  excepting  Mr.  Davis, 
and  perhaps  one  other,  were  coloured  slaves  belonging  to  the 
Creeks.  They  had  not  been  congregated  into  a  chureh,  and 
no  Baptist  minister  was  near  enough  to  afford  them  assistance. 
There  were  also  among  the  Creeks  a  few  Methodists  and  Pres 
byterians,  chiefly  slaves.  In  the  absence  of  Methodist  and 
Baptist  preachers,  all  of  those  belonging  to  these  two  denomi 
nations,  excepting  Mr.  Davis,  united  with  the  Presbyterians  in 
54 


426 


HISTORY   OF   BAPTIST 


a  little  church,  organized  by  the  Reverend  Mr.  Vaill  and  Rev 
erend  Mr.  Montgomery.  He  remained  alone  in  respect  to 
church  membership.  He  spent  a  good  deal  of  his  time  at 
Union  mission,  and  those  Paedo-Baptist  brethren  treated  him 
with  much  kindness,  and  were  ever  ready  to  afford  him  all  the 
instruction  in  their  power.  He  commonly  attended  and  took 
part  in  public  exercises  which  they  performed  in  the  Creek 
country,  and  sometimes  served  them  as  interpreter.  Mr.  Da- 
vis's  labours  were  not  unsuccessful ;  but  all  the  fruit  was  neces 
sarily  gathered  into  the  Presbyterian  church.  In  1831  he  mar 
ried  a  pious  Creek  woman,  who  had  been  educated  at  Union 
mission,  and  whose  improvement  reflected  great  credit  on  the 
institution.  After  his  marriage  he  settled  permanently  among 
his  people,  where  his  good  sense  and  piety,  and  devotion  to  the 
welfare  of  his  people,  entitled  him  to  great  respect.  He  was 
labouring  under  many  discouragements,  and  I  felt  myself  par 
ticularly  favoured  in  being  allowed  to  afford  him  some  assist 
ance  and  encouragement.  His  salary  was  inadequate,  and  at 
my  particular  request  the  board  generously  enlarged  it.  It  was" 
not  long  after  this,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter,  that  a  Baptist 
church  was  organized  among  the  Creeks. 

On  the  21st  of  October,  escorted  by  Lieutenant  Dawson  and 
eight  soldiers,  and  taking  for  my  assistance  a  white  man  and 
two  Indians,  I  again  started  on  an  exploring  tour.  On  the  next 
day,  among  a  few  straggling  Delawares  encamped  on  the  Ar 
kansas,  we  saw  a  woman  of  that  tribe  who  had,  with  some  dif 
ficulty,  escaped  a  massacre  by  the  Pawnees.  Two  men  and 
women  and  one  child,  had  been  attacked  in  a  hunting  camp  by 
Pawnees,  and  three  of  them  instantly  killed.  This  woman, 
with  her  child,  happened  at  the  time  of  attack  to  be  a  little  dis 
tance  from  camp,  and  escaped.  She  travelled  six  days  through 
a  pathless  wilderness  barefooted,  and  subsisted  herself  and  child 
on  grapes  and  berries. 

The  24th  of  October  was  a  day  of  cold  rain,  and  in  the 
evening  snow  fell,  and  adhered  so  much  to  the  herbage  and 
shrubbery,  that  it  was  exceedingly  uncomfortable.  We  encamp 
ed  on  the  bank  of  the  Arkansas,  and  near  dark  heard  the  report 
of  a  gun  on  the  opposite  side.  Supposing  it  to  be  a  signal  to 
ascertain  whether  we  were  a  war  party  or  not,  we  instantly  an 
swered  by  the  discharge  of  a  gun.  Presently  three  Osage  men 
and  one  woman  waded  the  Arkansas  river,  and  remained  at  our 
camp  during  the  night.  We  loaned  to  each  a  small  article,  to 
assist  in  keeping  them  from  the  wet  earth,  with  which,  and  with 
a  piece  of  a  poor  blanket  wrapped  around  the  naked  body  of 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


427 


each,  these  poor  creatures  slept  soundly  around  our  fire,  not 
withstanding  rain  and  sometimes  snow  were  moderately  falling 
on  them  through  the  night ;  and  the  time  was  so  cold  that  1 
could  scarcely  keep  warm  in  my  tent,  under  two  blankets  and  a 
cloak.  In  order  to  prevent  them  from  being  troublesome  to  one 
of  my  surveying  parties,  which  would  pass  that  way  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days,  I  desired  them  to  give  notice  to  the  rest 
of  their  company,  that  my  son,  with  a  few  men,  would  ere  long 
pass  up  the  river,  and  that  as  they  were  on  business  of  the  Gov 
ernment,  and  were  not  hunting,  they  would  be  glad  to  receive 
some  provisions  from  the  Osage  encampment.  They  took  pains 
to  see  the  party,  but  instead  of  offering  them  food  as  I  had  re 
quested,  informed  my  son  that  his  father  had  been  there,  and 
had  left  orders  for  him  to  divide  with  them  his  eatables ;  and  it 
was  with  a  good  deal  of  decision  and  some  risk  that  he  got  rid 
of  them  without  being  robbed  of  his  supplies. 

Doctor  McCoy,  who,  in  poor  health,  had  gone  into  the  State 
of  Missouri  for  us  in  the  month  of  September,  had  become  so 
sick  as  to  be  unable  to  return.  Not  knowing  fully  his  situation, 
and  hoping  that  I  might  be  able  to  bring  him  home,  and  also 
urged  by  other  business,  I  started  to  the  State  of  Missouri  on 
the  16th  of  November,  1831.  Our  way  was  mostly  through 
open  prairie,  and  the  season  becoming  exceedingly  cold,  I  was 
made  to  fear  perishing.  I  had  a  young  man  to  attend  me,  who 
was  much  hardier  than  I  was,  with  whose  assistance  I  wrapped 
about  me  as  1  sat  on  my  horse  four  blankets,  which  were  put 
over  my  cloak  and  ordinary  preparations  for  riding  in  the  cold ; 
and  thus  bundled  up  I  could  neither  get  on  nor  off  ray  horse 
without  help.  The  Doctor  was  unable  to  return  with  me,  and 
was  left  at  Mr.  Lykins's,  among  the  Shawanoes.  I  remained 
there  only  one  day,  when,  with  one  of  my  daughters,  who,  with 
her  sister,  had  just  arrived  from  Lexington,  Kentucky,  where 
they  had  been  at  school,  I  started  back  to  Arkansas  in  a  car 
riage.  We  had  in  company  five  men,  three  of  whom  we  had 
employed  to  re-enforce  our  surveying  parties. 

November  25th,  the  snow  fell  so  fast  in  the  prairies  that  we 
could  not  perceive  the  character  of  the  country  around  us,  and 
we  lost  our  way.  I  felt  some  uneasiness  for  our  situation  on  the 
bleak  prairies.  The  men  in  company  soon  became  so  bewildered^ 
that  they  knew  not  in  what  direction  we  ought  to  steer,  and  had 
they  been  left  to  themselves,  they  would  have  proceeded  in  a 
direction  opposite  to  that  which  was  right.  We  lost  half  a  day 
by  this  misfortune.  On  the  27th,  one  of  the  men  had  to  go 
into  the  water  to  help  one  of  our  carriages  out  of  the  Osage 


428 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


river.  Tlie  day  was  very  cold,  and  to  prevent  him  iVoin  perish 
ing  1  had  him  divested  of  his  wet  clothes  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  taking  him  into  a  carriage,  wrapped  him  in  blankets.  Our 
lodgings  at  night  were  necessarily  on  the  earth,  which  was  now 
covered  several  inches  deep  with  snow.  We  reached  our  place 
on  Arkansas  the  2d  of  December. 

The  alarming  indisposition  of  Doctor  McCoy  interrupted  the 
plans  we  had  devised  relative  to  our  residence  on  Arkansas  ;  and 
it  being  necessary  for  me  about  this  time  to  visit  Washington, 
we  resolved  that  Mrs.  McCoy,  and  the  rest  of  the  family 
with  her,  should  repair  to  Mr.  Lykins's  station  at  the  Shawanoe 
settlements,  and  remain  with  our  afflicted  son,  while  1  would 
make  the  tour  to  Washington.  While  preparing  for  this  jour 
ney,  we  were  visited  by  Mr.  J.  Meeker,  late  of  Thomas  station, 
in  Michigan.  A  few  months  before  this  time  1  had  received  a 
letter  from  him,  in  which  he  informed  me  that  he  had  retired 
from  missionary  labours,  and  had  resumed  the  business  of  print 
ing,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio  ;  and  he  desired  me  to  procure  and  send 
him  a  letter  of  dismission  from  our  church,  to  enable  him  to 
join  a  church  in  Cincinnati,  which  place  he  now  considered  as 
his  home.  The  reason  he  assigned  for  adopting  this  course 
was,  that  his  mother  looked  to  him  for  her  support,  and  also 
greatly  desired  to  enjoy  his  society;  and,  under  the  strong  influ 
ence  which  these  causes  might  be  expected  to  produce,  had  re 
quested  her  son  to  return  to  her,  in  terms  which  could  not  be 
disregarded.  He  had  despaired  of  success  at  the  Thomas  sta 
tion,  and  had  some  time  before  abandoned  it,  intending  to  esta 
blish  himself  elsewhere  in  the  Indian  country;  and  with  this 
design  was  on  his  way  to  obtain  a  personal  interview  with  the 
board,  when  he  met  the  letters  from  his  mother,  alluded  to 
above,  and  which  induced  him  to  retire  from  the  missionary  field 
altogether. 

Instead  of  sending  him  a  letter  of  dismission  from  the  church, 
as  he  had  desired,  I  reminded  him  of  the  want  of  missionaries 
in  the  Arkansas  country,  and  the  favourable  openings  which 
now  invited  faithful  missionaries  to  come  forward,  which  they 
might  do  in  the  Indian  territory  with  the  prospect  of  affording 
the  Indians  substantial  benefit,  and  urged  him  to  resume  his 
missionary  labours.  In  order  to  obviate  the  difficulty  which  was 
connected  with  the  comfort  of  his  mother,  I  took  the  liberty  of 
suggesting  the  means  by  which  she  might  be  comfortably  pro 
vided  for.  The  result  was  a  change  of  Mr.  Meeker's  design. 
He  broke  up  housekeeping  in  Cincinnati,  and  leaving  Mrs. 
Meeker  and  his  mother  at  a  comfortable  place,  came  on  to  us 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


429 


on  Arkansas,  a  distance,  by  water,  of  more  than  one  thousand 
miles.  The  last  twenty-five  miles  he  had  made  on  foot,  almost 
wholly  through  open  prairie.  The  day  was  exceedingly  cold, 
and  the  wind  in  his  face.  On  the  way  he  met  a  stranger  who 
informed  him  that  his  face  was  freezing — a  circumstance  which, 
till  then,  Mr.  Meeker  had  not  apprehended.  Fortunately  for 
him,  the  stranger  was  able  to  direct  him  to  a  fire  in  a  grove, 
which  some  other  sufferer  had  kindled.  He  reached  us  on  the 
18th  of  December. 

The  plan  arranged  for  Mr.  Meeker  was,  for  him  to  spend 
some  two  or  three  months  on  Arkansas,  chiefly  in  company  of 
Mr.  Davis,  our  Creek  missionary,  and  then  return  and  bring  on 
his  family.  To  meet  present  necessities  I  became  responsible, 
and,  for  the  future,  Mrs.  McCoy  and  I  assured  him  that  we 
would  divide  our  support  with  him  and  his  family  as  long  as 
they  should  need  it.  In  the  mean  time  I  was  to  make  an  effort 
at  Washington  to  procure  the  means  of  putting  a  printing  press 
in  operation  among  the  Cherokees  of  Arkansas,  under  the  man 
agement  of  Mr.  Meeker,  and  another  person  who  we  would 
endeavour  to  associate  with  him.  Our  design  was  to  issue  a  peri 
odical,  which  we  believed  would  exert  a  happy  influence  upon 
our  missionary  operations.  By  it,  the  true  condition  of  the  In 
dians  could  be  made  known  to  the  people  of  the  United  States — 
something  could  be  contributed  towards  giving  a  healthful  tone 
to  public  sentiment,  eliciting  sympathy,  and  enlisting  mis 
sionaries. 

Mr.  Meeker  did  not  bring  his  family  to  the  Indian  country  as 
soon  as  was  then  expected,  and  the  design  of  establishing  the 
printing  press  in  the  Cherokee  country  and  of  issuing  a  periodi 
cal  failed.  This  failure,  the  cause  of  which  could  not  be  attri 
buted  to  necessity,  but  to  the  apathy  of  the  Baptist  denomi 
nation  in  the  support  of  missions  to  the  Indians,  we  deeply 
regretted. 

It  would  seem  that  Mr.  Meeker  had  not  at  that  time  fully 
appreciated  the  favourable  changes  in  relation  to  Indian  im 
provement  which  were  connected  with  their  permanent  location 
in  a  country  of  their  own.  He  had  acquired  a  pretty  correct 
knowledge  of  the  Ottawa  language,  which  is  virtually  the  same 
as  the  Chippevva  and  Putawatomie,  and  therefore,  after  return 
ing  to  Cincinnati,  he  yielded  to  a  desire  to  labour  among  a 
people  with  whom  he  could  converse.  Some  of  us,  who  hoped 
for  the  completion  of  the  colonizing  plan,  of  course  anticipated 
the  location  within  the  Indian  territory,  of  the  Ottawas,  Puta- 
watomies,  and  a  portion  of  the  Chippewas ;  but  much  less  was 


430 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


said  in  favour  of  this  plan  in  the  regions  of  Cincinnati  and  Ohio, 
than  was  felt  by  a  few  within  the  Indian  territory.  Moreover, 
the  location  of  these  three  tribes  within  the  territory  was  op 
posed  by  many,  and  perhaps  by  all  men  holding  offices  con nect- 
ted  with  Indian  affairs  in  the  country  in  which  these  tribes  re 
sided. 

Mr.  Meeker,  therefore,  instead  of  coming  direct  to  the  Indian 
territory,  as  had  been  expected,  concluded  to  ascend  the  lakes 
and  labour  among  the  Chippewas.  The  board  approved  of  the 
design,  and  afforded  its  patronage.  In  the  autumn  of  1832,  he 
set  off,  with  Mrs.  Meeker,  for  Sault  de  St.  Marie,  between  Lakes 
Huron  and  Superior.  At  Detroit  he  was  joined  in  company  by 
the  Rev.  Moses  Merrill  and  Mrs.  Merrill,  of  the  State  of  Maine, 
who,  under  the  patronage  of  the  board,  were  proceeding  to  a 
similar  enterprise  in  the  same  region.  They  respectively  en 
tered  upon  missionary  labours,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Bing- 
ham,  at  Sault  de  St.  Marie,  where,  for  the  present,  we  leave 
them,  and  return  to  Arkansas.  We  had  been  animated  with 
the  prospect  of  Mr.  Meeker's  labouring  in  the  Indian  territory, 
and  felt  much  disappointed  by  his  change  of  views,  and  could 
not  but  deeply  regret  a  measure  which  we  fully  believed  to  be 
injudicious. 

December  19th,  1831,  I  started  with  my  family  from  Arkan 
sas,  for  the  Shawanoe  missionary  station.  The  two  assistant 
surveyors  accompanied  us,  with  some  of  their  hands.  We  were 
in  all  seventeen  persons.  This  was  another  unpleasant  journey 
of  three  hundred  miles,  at  an  inclement  season,  when  on  part 
of  the  road  we  had  to  encamp  on  the  snow.  In  proportion  to 
our  inconveniences  were  our  efforts  to  get  beyond  them.  We 
reached  the  Shawanoe  station  on  the  29th  of  December,  where 
we  were  kindly  received  into  the  house  of  Mr.  Lykins,  in  which 
lay  our  afflicted  son. 

Pretty  soon  after  our  arrival,  several  of  us  sickened,  apparently 
with  colds ;  Mrs.  McCoy,  two  daughters,  a  son,  a  servant,  and 
myself,  were  all  sick.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lykins  were  also  afflicted. 
On  the  1st  of  February  I  had  become  able  to  ride  on  horseback, 
and,  my  business  compelling  me,  I  left  for  Washington  leaving 
some  of  our  family  still  indisposed,  and  particularly  Dr.  McCoy, 
who  was  evidently  declining.  I  reached  Washington  on  the  2d 
of  March,  which  was  the  completion  of  a  journey,  reckoning 
from  Arkansas,  of  more  than  two  thousand  miles. 

At  this  time  the  Delawares  expressed  a  desire  to  have 
schools  located  among  them  ;  and  the  Weas  and  Peorias  not  c  nly 
expressed  a  similar  desire,  but  wished  us  to  furnish  them,  be- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 

cause,  as  they  said,  they  had  been  acquainted  with  us  when  our. 
mission  embraced  their  tribe  (the  Miarnies)  at  Fort  Wayne, 
many  years  before.  In  view  of  the  extended  and  still  widening 
field  for  missionary  efforts,  Mr.  Lykins  had  with  more  zeal  than 
success  sought  for  more  missionaries.  Two  ministers  in  the 
State  of  Missouri  were  addressed  on  the  subject,  but  without 
effect. 

I  took  with  me  to  Washington,  and  published,  the  following 
address  : 

"  Address  to  philanthropists  in  the  United  States  generally, 
and  to  Christians  in  particular,  on  the  condition  and  pros- 
pects  of  the  American  Indians. 

"  The  day  for  cold  speculations,  and  tedious  theories,  respect 
ing  the  fate  of  the  aborigines  of  America,  has  gone  by.  It  is 
our  fortune  to  live  in  a  time  of  doing  in  reference  to  them. 
Most  of  the  tribes  are  changing  places,  and  are  concentrating  in 
one  territory,  where  the  relation  which  they  are  to  sustain  to 
one  another,  and  to  the  United  States,  is  to  be  new.  Under 
these  changes  we  apprehend  a  crisis  in  their  condition  is  ap 
proaching,  and  speedily  it  is  to  be  made  either  better  or  worse. 
The  design  of  this  address  is  to  develop  some  facts  which,  it 
is  believed,  prefer  strong  claims  upon  our  philanthropy  and  our 
prayers. 

"  It  is  unnecessary  to  consume  time  in  discussing  the  merits 
of  questions  which  relate  to  the  settlement  of  the  Indians  in  the 
country  west  of  the  State  of  Missouri  and  Territory  of  Arkan 
sas.  It  is  sufficient  for  our  present  purpose  to  announce  the 
fact  that  the  work  is  actually  in  progress. 

"  It  has  been  many  years  since  different  statesmen  of  dis 
tinction  avowed  themselves  in  favour  of  the  scheme  of  forming 
the  Indians  into  a  civil  community ;  and  more  than  eight  years 
since  many  Christians,  actually  engaged  in  the  work  of  Indian 
improvement,  have  not  only  laboured  to  promote  the  design,  but 
have  declared  their  preference  for  the  place  which  has  been 
chosen  for  its  ultimate  execution  ;  and  it  has  been  more  than 
six  years  since  the  Government  of  the  United  States  entered 
upon  the  plan  of  collocating  the  tribes  in  the  country  in  which 
I  am  writing.  N 

"  In  a  retrospect  of  three  centuries,  we  perceive  little  else  in 

,  the  history  of  American  Indians,  than  their  decline  and  misery. 

In  this  state  of  things,  their  destruction  being  inevitable,  it  has 

been  deemed  expedient  to  change   the  policy  in  relation  to 


432 


HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 


them,  notwithstanding  the  new  state  of  things  might  be  a  mere 
experiment. 

"  Early  in  the  progress  of  this  business,  a  question  arose  as 
to  the  most  eligible  location  for  the  settlement.  Under  the  ad 
ministration  of  Mr.  Monroe,  the  territory  between  Lake  Michi 
gan  and  the  Mississippi  river  was  spoken  of  as  a  suitable  place 
for,  at  least,  a  portion  of  the  tribes.  Since  that  time,  the  choice 
of  public  authority  has  become  undivided,  and  has  settled  down 
upon  the  region  west  of  Arkansas  Territory  and  west  of  the 
State  of  Missouri,  as  far  north  as  the  Missouri  river,  and  upward 
on  the  southwest  of  that  river,  embracing  a  country  of  about 
six  hundred  miles  from  south  to  north,  and  two  hundred  miles 
in  width. 

"In  the  favourable  portions  of  the  last  four  years  much  has 
been  done  towards  the  examination  of  this  region,  with  a  view 
to  ascertaining  its  real  character.  While  those  who  have  ex 
plored  it  have  reported  defects  which  they  believed  existed, 
(having  never  seen  a  country  without  defects,)  they  have  been, 
nevertheless,  fully  persuaded  that  it  was  adequate  to  the  pur 
poses  designed.  While  the  evidences  of  the  frailty  of  human 
judgment  admonish  us  of  the  possibility  of  mistake,  we  are  con 
soled  by  the  reflection  that  the  country  is  here,  open  to  inspec 
tion,  and  at  all  times  ready  to  speak  for  itself. 

"  All  Indian  tribes  which  now  reside  or  ever  have  resided  east 
of  the  Mississippi,  are,  or  have  been,  within  the  claims  of  some 
State  or  Territory  of  the  United  States.  Here  no  such  claim 
exists.  Hitherto  the  several  tribes  have  not  been  united  to  one 
another,  nor  to  the  United  States.  Here  they  are  to  be  united 
in  one  common  bond  of  civil  community,  and  constituted  an 
integral  part  of  the  United  States.  Consequently,  in  the  ab 
sence  of  all  claims,  excepting  those  of  the  United  States,  their 
rights  to  the  soil  can  be  made  as  secure  as  are  those  of  other 
citizens  within  the  United  States  and  Territories ;  for  they  may 
hold  their  lands  by  the  same  tenure.  This  course  of  things 
has  recently  been  commenced.  The  Choctaw  and  the  Seneca 
tribes,  which  have  each  received  an  assignment  of  land  in  the 
Indian  Territory,  are  to  hold  the  same  by  patent. 

"  Last  spring  orders  were  issued,  through  the  Secretary  of 
War,  for  the  examination  of  the  country  more  thoroughly,  and 
for  carrying  on   the  actual  survey  of  the   lands  of  the  several 
tribes,  so  that  each  might  be  judiciously  located.     The  propriety  . 
of  this  course  is  too  obvious  to  need  remark. 

"  Here,  then,  we  have  before  us  the  country,  with  fourteen 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


433 


tribes,  or  parts  of  tribes,  already  in  it.  The  remaining  tribes,  or 
parts  of  tribes,  are,  some  of  them,  emigrating,  and  others  pre 
paring  to  emigrate  ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  present  objections 
of  some,  it  is  believed  that  emigration  will  continue  until  few,  if 
any,  will  be  left  within  the  United  States. 

"  Few  of  the  original  inhabitants  have  made  any  advances  in 
civilization.  The  Osages  are,  by  circumstances,  prepared  to 
exchange  their  precarious  mode  of  obtaining  subsistence,  for  one 
more  certain.  Among  them,  among  the  Kauzaus,  and  among 
the  Omahas  and  Otoes,  schools,  and  other  operations  for  the 
benefit  of  both  body  and  soul,  might  be  instituted  with  ease,  and 
under  prospects  of  great  usefulness.  The  dreadful  evil  of  in 
temperance  has,  as  yet,  made  little  progress  among  them,  and 
the  Kauzaus  and  Osages  are  the  most  humble  and  manageable 
wild  Indians  that  I  have  ever  seen. 

"  The  Delawares,  Shawanoes,  Weas,  and  Peorias,  have  all 
requested  schools,  and  other  aids.  The  Cherokees,  Creeks,  and 
Choctaws,  are  in  condition  similar  to  that  of  their  kindred  seve 
rally  on  the  east  of  Mississippi,  making  the  necessary  allow 
ance  for  the  newness  of  their  settlement.  Their  readiness  to 
improve  by  schools,  preaching,  and  the  like,  may  also  be  con 
sidered  equal  to  that  of  their  relations,  with  an  honourable  ex 
ception  in  favour  of  the  Creeks,  who  have  evinced  a  greater 
desire  to  profit  by  these  things  than  the  portion  of  their  tribe 
east  of  the  Mississippi  ever  did. 

"  The  Presbyterians  have  two  missionary  stations  among  the 
Osages,  four  among  the  Cherokees,  and  one  among  the  Creeks. 
The  Methodists  have  one  station  among  the  Shawanoes,  and 
they  have  determined  to  extend  their  labours  to  others  as  soon 
and  as  extensively  as  practicable.  The  Baptists  have  one  sta 
tion  among  the  Shawanoes,  and  one  among  the  Creeks,  besides 
a  missionary  whose  labours  are  not  stationary,  but  who  has  been 
between  three  and  four  years  employed  generally  in  preparing 
the  way  for  multiplying  and  extending  missionary  operations 
among  the  Indians.  They  have  undertaken  to  establish  mis 
sions  among  all  ,the  tribes  within  the  territory,  excepting  the 
Senecas. 

"I  repeat  it,  the  Indians  are  concentrating  in  this  country, 
and  circumstances  which  I  need  not  here  detail  will,  without 
doubt,  occasion  emigration  to  continue  until,  with  slight  excep 
tions,  they  will  all  be  here,  whether  Government  afford  them  aid 
or  not.  Their  emigration  cannot  be  restrained  without  the  inter 
vention  of  an  armed  force.  No  one  ever  imagined  that  the 
mere  location  of  them  in  this  country  would  rescue  them  from 
55 


484 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


ruin.  Hopes  for  their  deliverance  from  degradation  and  wretch 
edness  have  been  predicated  upon  the  supposition,  that  here 
they  would  be  placed  under  circumstances  which  would  allow 
ample  scope  to  the  influence  of  means  which  should  be  em 
ployed  for  their  improvement ;  that  Acre  they  might  be  brought 
to  feel  such  incentives  to  virtue,  industry,  and  enterprise,  as  in 
all  ages  have  been  necessary  to  save  frail  man  from  deterioration 
and  misery. 

"  Unhappy  differences  of  opinion  upon  this  subject  have 
already  retarded  the  operations  of  Government,  to  the  great  in 
convenience  of  some  of  these  unfortunate  people.  Circum 
stances,  therefore,  require  us  to  answer,  under  an  awful  respon 
sibility,  to  the  inquiries,  shall  we  aid  in  supplying  these  poor 
people  with  the  means  necessary  for  the  improvement  of  their 
condition,  and  endeavour  to  promote  the  plans  of  Government, 
which  are  obviously  necessary  to  the  attainment  of  this  end  ? 
Or,  shall  we  do  nothing  towards  improving  the  favourable  op 
portunities  for  doing  them  good  in  the  new  state  of  things  ;  or, 
what  would  be  still  worse,  will  we  clog  the  measures  of  Govern 
ment  which  are  calculated  to  promote  their  present  and  future 
welfare  ? 

"  It  seems  difficult  for  us  to  divest  ourselves  of  our  original 
opinions  respecting  the  character  and  disposition  of  the  In 
dians,  however  erroneous  these  opinions  may  be.  We  have 
always  overrated  their  passion  for  war,  and  their  attachment  to 
their  institutions.  These  have  been  among  our  mistaken  no 
tions  of  the  principal  obstacles  to  their  improvement.  I  notice 
this  subject  here,  in  order  to  obviate  difficulties  which  present 
themselves  to  our  imagination,  and  to  prevent  mistakes  in  the 
application  of  means  for  their  improvement. 

"  The  Indians  have  been  frequently  engaged  in  war,  because 
they  have  not  had  an  opportunity  of  accustoming  themselves 
to  better  pursuits.  Many  tribes  have  become  more  and  more 
warlike,  by  the  example  and  the  repeated  aggressions  of  white 
men.  The  history  of  the  early  settlements  of  the  Spaniards, 
and  of  all  other  Europeans,  in  this  country,  shows  that  they 
were  not  a  warlike  people.  The'  Osages,  Kauzaus,  Pawnees, 
Camanches,  Kiawas,  and  others  in  these  western  wilds,  are  per 
petually  engaged  in  predatory  warfare ;  nevertheless,  few  lives 
are  lost.  The  condition  of  their  villages  and  hunting  parties  is 
generally  such  that,  were  the  stronger  party  resolute  and  fierce, 
they  could  at  once  exterminate  the  weaker.  But  this  does  not 
happen,  notwithstanding  that,  in  the  course  of  the  same  year, 
different  tribes  may  occupy  the  same  hunting  ground.  United 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


435 


Slates'  troops  may  be  necessary  to  prevent  impositions  upon 
them  by  lawless  persons  from  among  ourselves,  and  to  defend 
their  frontiers  against  occasional  injuries  by  war  parties  from 
remote  tribes ;  but  not  to  preserve  peace  among  those  who  are, 
or  shall  be,  located  within  the  territory.  Here  it  will  be  their 
interest  to  be  at  peace  among  themselves.  United  in  one  com 
munity,  war  among  themselves  would  be  as  unnatural  as  war 
between  so  many  counties  of  one  of  our  States.  Here  arrest 
and  punishment  for  violence  to  each  other's  persons,  or  depre 
dations  upon  their  property,  can  be  exercised  with  the  same 
salutary  effects  as  in  our  States  and  Territories. 

"  Man  is  naturally  a  religious  being,  and  consequently  forms 
some  notions  of  futurity,  and  adopts  some  ceremonies  of  devo 
tion.  With  the  Indians,  these  are  as  few  and  as  flexible  as 
human  nature  admits.  1  have  never  met  with  arxy  dogma  in 
their  superstition  against  which  I  thought  it  necessary  to  preach, 
but  I  have  deemed  it  sufficient  to  teach  them  the  plain  unso1- 
phisticated  doctrines  of  Christianity.  No  uncommon  aversion 
to  these  truths  has  been  manifested  by  them,  and  so  far  as  they 
have  been  brought  to  bear  upon  them,  their  own  religious  cere 
monies  have  appeared  to  them  unreasonable  and  futile.  A  se 
rious  Pulawatornie-  once  asked  me  if  it  would  be  improper  to 
attend  an  Indian  dance  and  festival  ?  I  replied,  that  these  cus 
toms  of  the  Indians  were  like  the  amusements  of  children.  I 
did  not  respect  them,  because  the  Bible  had  taught  me  lo  put 
away  childish  things,  and  such  would  be  the  natural  conse 
quence  with  all  who  should  be  brought  under  the  influence  of 
Christianity.  This  reply  had  its  desired  effect.  From  their 
fondness  of  war,  the  influence  of  their  superstition,  or  their  at 
tachment  to  any  of  their  institutions,  no  formidable  obstacle  to 
their  improvement  should  be  anticipated. 

"  Government  is  dividing  this  country  among  them,  and  pro 
viding  measures  to  place  them  completely  within  the  influence 
of  religious,  literary,  and  other  instructions  ;  and  philanthropists, 
especially  those  who  are  Christians,  are  called  upon  to  perform 
their  part  in  this  noble  enterprise.  This  is  a  new  era  in  Indian 
affairs.  None  of  the  natives  have  heretofore  been  placed  under 
circumstances  similar  to  these.  Missionaries  among  the  several 
bands  scattered  through  the  States  and  Territories  have  the 
discouragement  to  find  the  people  of  their  charge  annoyed  with 
vexatious  evils,  originating  in  the  proximity  of  a  population  of 
different  interest,  the  influence  of  which  will  here  scarcely  be 
felt.  There  they  find  their  people  diminishing  in  numbers ; 


436 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


here  their  numbers  are  augmenting.  There  they  know  not 
whither  to  direct,  upon  the  completion  of  their  courses,  those 
whom  they  have  instructed  in  letters,  labour,  and  religion  ; 
here  the  dilemma  is  obviated.  Have  any  of  the  pupils  of 
Indian  schools  been  taught  to  perform  the  service  of  day 
labourers  upon  the  farm  ?  Here  they  may  find  immediate  and 
profitable  employment.  I  could  point  them  to  places  in  the 
neighbourhood  in  which  I  write,  where  Indians  would  give  them 
good  wages  for  such  service ;  or,  here  they  may  make  their 
own  farm,  and  possess  it  without  fear  of  molestation.  Are  any 
of  them  blacksmiths  ?  many  such  are  needed  here.  Are  they 
millwrights?  Indians  are  here  actually  engaged  in  the  erection 
of  mills.  Are  they  carpenters?  here  they  would  receive  abun 
dant  employment.  I  know  an  Indian  in  this  neighbourhood 
who  has  sent  two  hundred  and  eighty  miles  to  hire  hands  to 
assist  him  in  his  labours.  All  who  have  acquired  a  knowledge 
of  the  more  useful  arts  would  here  find  employment,  and  the 
demand  for  their  services  will  increase.  Are  any  of  them  quali 
fied  to  attend  a  store  ?  Here  are  Indian  merchants,  with  shops 
of  goods  assorted  to  suit  their  customers,  and  prosecuting  their 
business  with  success.  Have  any  been  taught  the  healing  art  ? 
Here  they  are  greatly  needed.  Among  the  Cherokees,  one  of 
their  own  tribe,  who  has  been  favoured  with  a  regular  medical 
education,  has  at  this  time  an  extensive  practice.  The  Creeks 
last  year  voluntarily  paid  nearly  one  thousand  dollars  to  a  white 
physician  who  practised  among  them.  Have  any  acquired  some 
knowledge  of  the  science  of  civil  government  ?  Here  are  the 
rudiments  of  a  community  which  already  presents  flattering 
prospects  to  a  few,  and  which  will  shortly  require  the  services  of 
many,  in  its  various  departments.  The  Cherokees  and  Creeks 
earnestly  seek  information  upon  these  subjects,  from  all  white 
men  who  pass  among  them,  from  whom  they  can  hope  to  obtain 
it.  They  are  endeavouring  to  assimilate  all  their  laws  and  in 
stitutions  to  those  of  the  United  States. 

"  We  cannot  overlook  the  fact,  that  not  a  single  tribe,  or  part 
of  a  tribe,  at  this  time  exists  in  any  of  the  States  or  Territories, 
under  easy,  improving,  or  promising  circumstances.  Here  the 
circumstances  of  the  case  are  as  favourable  as  could  be  hoped 
for  in  this  incipient  state  of  the  subject.  Here  new  settlements 
are  forming,  the  number  of  inhabitants  increasing,  and  the  state 
of  society  either  improving,  or  susceptible  of  improvement, 
much  the  same  as  occurs  in  new  settlements  of  our  white  citi 
zens  upon  our  frontiers.  Let  me  entreat  you,  as  friends  of 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


437 


man— as  friends  of  the  souls  of  men — to  lend  your  attention  to 
this  subject,  which,  in  the  sacred  names  of  justice  and  human 
ity,  appeals  to  your  praying  hearts  and  helping  hands. 

"  In  speaking  of  this  country,  and  the  people  within  it,  1  do 
not  rely  upon  report.  This  has  been  the  field  of  my  labours 
since  July,  1828.  These  people  cannot  present  themselves 
before  you  ;  I  am  now  among  them,  in  sight  of  their  wants,  and 
witnessing  their  readiness  to  avail  themselves  of  offered  assist 
ance.  I  could  not  innocently  hold  my  peace.  I  entreat  you, 
by  all  that  may  be  dreaded  in  destruction,  and  by  all  which  may 
be  hoped  for  in  prosperity,  to  come  forward  to  the  aid  of  these 
people. 

"  In  presenting  this  subject  to-your  consideration,  I  beg  leave 
to  refer  you  to  their  probable  number  before  they  saw  the  face 
of  white  men,  and  to  the  probable  number  of  them  now.  Is  it 
a  small  matter  that  the  once  numerous  aborigines  of  America 
should  perish  from  off  the  face  of  the  earth  ?  and  can  that  be 
a  work  of  little  interest  which  is  designed  to  rescue  these  rem 
nants  from  ruin,  and  to  place  them  upon  an  equality  with  the 
most  favoured  people  upon  earth  ?  The  philanthropist  and  the 
Christian  need  only  to  be  pointed  to  suffering  humanity — the 
doctrines  which  give  them  name  will  elicit  their  help. 

"It  may  be  inquired,  what  can  be  done?  I  answer,  every 
citizen  of  the  United  States  may  contribute  to  the  prosperity  of 
these  people.  All,  as  citizens,  by  their  favourable  countenance, 
may  foster  judicious  measures  of  Government  in  regard  to  their 
location ;  and  all  may,  in  like  manner,  encourage  the  adop 
tion  of  salutary  Government  measures  among  them  when  lo 
cated  ;  while  such  of  the  benevolent  as  would  approach  nearer 
to  them  should  send  among  them  their  teachers  of  religion,  of 
literature,  and  of  mechanic  arts.  May  we  not  hope  that  there 
are  many  pious  men  who  would  esteem  it  their  highest  privi 
lege  to  be  allowed  to  employ  their  labours  and  their  lives  in 
this  country,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians  ? — and  dare  we  doubt 
that  with  equal  readiness  the  requisite  means,  beyond  that  which 
Government  would  supply,  would  be  furnished  by  those  who 
find  pleasure  in  pitying  the  poor  and  helping  the  needy? 

"  It  is  our  peculiar  felicity  to  feel  assured  that,  in  regard  to 
civil  government,  we  are  the  most  favoured  people  that  have 
ever  inhabited  the  earth.  We  admire  the  policy  of  not  leaving 
the  improvement  of  the  condition  of  the  Indians  merely  to  the 
operation  of  political  measures,  but  of  applying  appropriations 
of  Government  for  schools,  &c.,  in  conjunction  with  funds  and 
labours  of  benevolent  societies,  so  that  the  almoners  of  Govern- 


488 


HISTORY    OF    BAI'TIST 


rnent  funds  for  these  purposes  may  be  accountable,  not  only  to  the 
Government  itself,  but  also  to  the  several  churches  and  benevo 
lent  associations  under  the  special  authority  of  which  they  labour. 

"The  plan  of  collecting  the  tribes  into  one  body,  and  placing 
them  in  this  country  under  the  circumstances  embraced  in  the 
scheme  of  the  Government,  is  precisely  what  has  been  prayed 
for  and  sought,  by  numerous  Christians,  for  many  years.  It  is 
a  mistake,  which  some  prints  have,  it  would  seem,  unintention 
ally  fallen  into,  that  it  is  a  measure  deprecated  by  all  Chris 
tians,  as  fraught  with  mischief  to  that  unhappy  race.  Different 
views  of  expediency  have  existed  upon  this,  as  upon  all  sub 
jects  of  interest;  but  it  is  a  fact,  which  there  can  be  no  motive 
for  concealing,  that  deliberative  bodies  of  Christians,  of  more 
than  one  denomination,  have  at  different  times  recorded  their 
predilection  in  favour  of  the  plan  under  consideration.  Memo 
rials  have  been  presented  to  Congress,  praying  for  its  speedy 
adoption,  and  one  of  them  as  early  as  the  year  1827. 

"  While  the  adoption  of  this  plan  by  our  Government  meets 
the  deliberate  wishes  of  some  Christians,  it  is  my  happiness  to 
hope  that  those  who  have  heretofore  entertained  different  views 
in  relation  to  the  emigration  of  the  Indians  will,  since  emigra 
tion  is  actually  going  on,  and  cannot  be  arrested,  cordially  unite 
in  improving  the  condition  of  this  people  when  here.  Upon 
the  propriety  of  helping  them  here,  one  would  suppose  there 
could  be  no  difference  of  opinion  among  us.  Are  we  what  we 
profess  to  be — THE  FRIENDS  OF  THE  INDIANS?  Tiien  let  us 
manifest  our  faith  by  our  works. 

"  On  taking  my  leave  for  the  present,  permit  me,  with  reve 
rence  for  the  commands  of  Him  whom  we  profess  to  serve,  to 
remind  you  of  the  probability  of  our  again  being  in  conference. 
I  allude  to  the  time  when  the  people  who  are  the  subjects  of 
this  appeal  will  be  present,  not  to  solicit  your  assistance,  but  to 
meet  their  destiny.  How  shall  we  then  bear  the  reproaches  of 
that  neglected  people,  or  hope  for  pardon  from  our  God,  if 
now  we  refuse  to  do  them  good? — if  now  we  should  allow 
political  partialities,  and  sectional  prejudices,  to  stop  our  ears, 
and  should  refuse  to  listen  to  the  importunities  of  suffering 
humanity?  Rather  let  us  strengthen  the  feeble,  bind  up  the 
broken-hearted,  and  wipe  away  the  tear  of  wo.  Conscience 
will  approve  the  deed,  and  Heaven  will  confer  a  full  reward. 
"  Your  fellow-citizen,  and  your  brother, 

"  ISAAC  McCoY. 
"Surveyors'  Camp,  Neosho  river,    > 

Indian  Territory,  Dec.  1,  1831."  5 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


439 


Of  the  foregoing  address  a  pretty  large  edition  was  printed, 
and  distributed  gratuitously  among  members  of  Congress  and 
heads  of  Departments  at  Washington,  and  to  others  throughout 
the  United  States. 

My  report  to  the  Hon.  Lewis  Cass,  Secretary  of  War,  of 
February  1st,  1832,  was,  by  a  resolution  of  Congress,  called 
for  and  ordered  to  be  printed,  of  which  I  had  seven  hundred 
extra  copies  printed  at  my  own  expense,  for  gratuitous  distribu 
tion.  The  report  covered  fourteen  large  pages.  Besides  stating 
the  amount  of  work  done  under  my  instructions,  it  embraced  a 
description  of  the  country  in  general,  and  particularly  in  relation 
to  the  claims  of  each  tribe ;  a  brief  statement  of  the  condition 
and  prospects  of  each,  and  a  confirmation  of  the  opinion  that 
the  country  was  fully  adequate,  in  extent  and  resources,  to  the 
purposes  contemplated  in  Indian  settlements.  It  was  also  ac 
companied  by  a  large  map.  The  recommendation  was  reiterated, 
that  the  remote  tribes,  particularly  the  Camanches,  whose  war 
parties  hovered  about  the  settlements  of  the  immigrants  within 
the  Territory,  should  be  visited,  and  such  an  acquaintance  formed 
with  them  as  would  render  them  peaceable.  This,  it  was  fully 
believed,  could  be  done  without  bloodshed.  An  adjustment  of 
the  boundaries  of  the  Otoes,  Pawnees,  and  Omahas,  by  a  treaty 
with  them,  by  which  other  tribes  would  be  more  suitably  pro 
vided  for,  was  a  second  time  recommended.  It  was  also  again 
recommended  that  a  suitable  tract  for  the  seat  of  Government 
of  the  Indian  territory  should  be  reserved  from  cession  to  any 
particular  tribe,  and  which  should  be  open  for  the  occupancy  of 
individuals  of  any  tribe.  The  importance  of  a  general  council 
of  the  tribes,  for  the  purpose  of  making  them  acquainted  with 
the  relation  which  they  would  hwe  sustain  towards  one  another, 
and  towards  the  United  States,  was  again  brought  to  view,  and 
in  connection  with  this,  the  establishment  of  such  a  superintend- 
ency  as  would  virtually  amount  to  an  organization  of  the  terri^ 
tory  was  again  earnestly  urged,  and  a  modification  of  the  agency 
system,  and  measures  to  prevent  destruction  by  small-pox,  were 
recommended.  The  Osages  were  a  poor,  neglected,  and  suffer 
ing  people,  many  of  whom  were  at  this  time  not  on  their  own 
lands.  It  was  recommended  that  they  should  be  located  upon 
their  own  lands,  and  assistance  given  them  in  the  making  of 
fields,  and  in  furnishing  live  stock,  by  virtue  of  a  treaty  provi 
sion  of  1825,  a  portion  of  which  had  been  expended  without 
benefit  to  the  tribe. 


410 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


Creek  treaty.  Small-pox  intentionally  communicated.  Chero 
kee  difficulties.  Triennial  convention.  Appointment  of  two 
missionaries.  Death  of  Dr.  R.  McCoy.  Settlement  near 
the  Shawanoes.  Journey  ^to  Arkansas.  Muscogee  Baptist 
church  constituted.  Baptisms.  School  opened  among  the 
Shawanoes.  Additional  baptisms  among  the  Creeks.  Re 
port  to  commissioners.  Location  of  a  missionary  among 
the  Choctaws.  Baptism  at  Shawanoe.  Proposed  mission 
to  the  Kickapoos.  Kickapoo  prophet.  Missionary  appointed 
to  the  Choctaws.  Arrival  of  missionaries  at  the  Shawanoe 
station. 

At  this  time,  (March,  1832,)  a  delegation  of  Creeks  from 
the  east  of  the  Mississippi  was  at  Washington,  negotiating  with 
reference  to  their  removal  west,  to  join  their  kindred  on  the 
Arkansas.  While  these  negotiations  were  pending,  I  addressed 
the  following  letter  to  the  President  and  to  the  Secretary  of 
War,  the  latter  being  the  commissioner  to  negotiate  on  the  part 
of  the  United  States : 

"  Washington,  March  20,  1832. 

"SiB:  I  know  that  the  Mclntosh  party  of  the  Creeks  now 
on  Arkansas  are  anxious  to  have  schools  established  among 
them,  as  I  stated  in  my  late  report.  No  Government  provision 
has  been  made  to  help  them  in  this  matter;  they  need  encou-- 
ragement.  While  other  tribes  have  been  assisted  in  matters  of 
education,  they  have  hoped  that  some  arrangement  would  also 
be  made  for  extending  to  then^the  hand  of  help.  They  have 
looked  forward  to  the  time  when  the  portion  of  their  tribe  on 
the  east  would  negotiate  for  removal,  as  favourable  for  the  adop 
tion  of  such  regulations. 

"  May  I  be  allowed  respectfully  to  request,  which  I  do  sin 
cerely  and  most  fervently,  that  the  subject  receive  your  favour 
able  notice.  It  is  not  an  ordinary  case.  Schools  could  be 
located  advantageously  in  many  settlements.  There  is  a  full 
Creek,  who  is  a  Baptist  minister,  now  preaching  to  them,  a  man 
of  unblemished  character,  who  receives  a  small  salary  from  the 
Baptist  Board  of  Missions,  who  desires  to  connect  a  school 
with  his  other  labours.  The  Baptists  have  resolved  to  extend 
their  missionary  operations  among  them,  and  among  the  whole 
tribe,  when  those  on  the  east  of  the  Mississippi  shall  have  ar 
rived. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


441 


"  We  earnestly  hope  that  the  subject  of  providing  for  the 
education  of  the  Creek  youth,  embracing  those  of  both  sides  of 
the  Mississippi,  will  receive  the  countenance  of  those  who  may 
negotiate  with  the  eastern  party  for  their  removal. 
"  Respectfully,  your  humble  servant, 

"  ISAAC  McCoy, 
"  General  ANDREW  JACKSON, 

"  President  of  the  United  States." 

Whether  the  foregoing  letter  had  any  influence  or  not,  it  could 
not  be  otherwise  than  gratifying  to  find  the  following  stipulation 
in  the  treaty  which  was  at  that  time  concluded,  viz:  "three 
thousand  dollars  [per  annum,]  to  be  expended  as  the  President 
may  direct,  shall  be  allowed  for  the  term  of  twenty  years,  for 
teaching  their  children.1' 

From  the  commencement  of  the  trade  from  the  State  of  Mis 
souri  to  Santa  Fe,  within  the  Spanish  dominions,  and  which  was 
carried  on  by  means  of  large  caravans  across  more  than  a  thou 
sand  miles  of  almost  one  continued  woodless  prairie,  the  Paw 
nees,  Camanches,  and  other  remote  tribes,  had  been  very  trou 
blesome.  The  respective  companies  were  obliged  to  be  con 
stantly  prepared  for  defence.  With  all  possible  vigilance  many 
lives  were  lost,  and  a  vast  amount  of  property  in  mules  and 
horses  taken  from  them.  Companies  of  Rocky  mountain  trap 
pers  suffered  in  a  similar  manner.  The  consequence  was,  a 
hatred  of  those  remote  Indians,  equal  to  the  dread  of  death  and 
depredation  which  they  occasioned. 

In  1831,  some  of  the  white  men  belonging  to  one  of  these 
caravans,  under  the  influence  of  a  disposition  which  it  would 
seem  had  its  origin  in  a  worse  world  than  ours,  conceived  the 
design  of  communicating  the  small-pox  to  those  remote  tribes ! 
I  have  in  my  possession  the  certificate  of  a  young  man  who  was 
employed  as  one  of  the  company,  and  whom,  having  since  be 
come  well  acquainted  with  him,  I  know  to  be  a  man  of  veracity, 
in  which  he  states  that  he  heard  it  declared  by  several  of  the 
company,  that  such  was  their  design  ;  that  they  had  brought 
with  them  from  the  white  settlements  the  virus  of  small  pox  ; 
that  they  designed  to  communicate  it  on  a  present  of  tobacco  to 
Indians  whom  they  might  fall  in  with  ;  or,  if  such  an  opportu 
nity  should  not  offer,  an  infected  article  of  clothing  should  be 
left  on  the  prairies,  in  a  situation  to  be  found  by  an  Indian. 
They  did  fall  in  with  Indians,  who  were  admitted  into  camp, 
and  it  was  said  afterwards  that  the  contagion  of  small-pox  had 
been  communicated  to  them  according  to  the  design  previously 

56 


442 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


conceived.  Not  long  after  this  the  Pawnees  on  the  Great  Platt 
river  were  most  dreadfully  afflicted  with  small-pox,  and  they 
said  that  the  disease  had  been  contracted  by  some  of  their  peo 
ple  on  an  excursion  in  the  south  ;  their  report  corresponding 
with  the  account  of  the  plan  stated  in  the  certificate  in  my  pos 
session. 

It  was  on  the  23d  of  March,  1832,  that  I  received  informa 
tion  from  Mr.  Lykins,  of  the  dreadful  havoc  making  among  the 
Pawnees  by  this  grievous  scourge  of  man.  He  informed  me 
that  an  official  statement  of  the  distress  had  been  made  by  Ma 
jor  Dougherty,  the  United  States'  agent  for  the  Pawnees,  on 
the  29th  of  the  preceding  October,  arid  which  1  was  sorry  now 
to  learn  had  produced  no  action  of  Government  for  relief.  The 
following  are  extracts  from  the  letter  of  the  agent: 

*'  Cantonment  Leavenworth,  October  29,  1831. 

"  SIR  :  I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  I  have  returned 
from  a  visit  to  the  four  Pawnee  villages,  all  of  whom  I  found  in 
a  most  deplorable  condition  ;  indeed,  their  misery  defies  all  de 
scription.  I  .am  fully  persuaded  that  one-half  of  the  whole  num 
ber  will  be  carried  off  by  this  frightful  distemper.  They  told 
me  that  not  one  under  thirty  years  of  age  escaped,  it  having 
been  that  length  of  time  since  it  visited  them  before. 

"  They  were  dying  so  fast,  and  taken  down  at  once  in  such 
large  numbers,  that  they  had  ceased  to  bury  their  dead,  whose 
bodies  were  to  be  seen  in  every  direction — lying  in  the  river, 
lodged  on  the  sand-bars,  in  the  weeds  around  the  villages,  and 
in  their  old  corn  cashes,  [excavations  in  the  earth  in  which  corn 
had  been  housed.]  Others  again  were  dragged  off  by  the  hun 
gry  dogs  into  the  prairie,  where  they  were  torn  to  pieces  by  the 
more  hungry  wolves  and  buzzards. 

"  I  am,  very  respectfully,  &c., 

"  JOHN  DOUGHERTY,  Indian  Agent. 
"  General  WM.  CLARK, 

"  Supt.  Indian  Affairs." 

On  hearing  of  these  calamities  among  the  Pawnees,  I  imme 
diately  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  of  which  the 
following  is  an  extract : 

"  Washington,  March  23,  1832. 

"  SIR  :  The  claims  of  humanity,  in  a  case  peculiarly  affect 
ing,  compel  me  to  ask  leave  to  trouble  you  with  this.  I  have 
this  moment  received  information  from  Mr.  Lykins,  near  Kauzau 
river,  dated  February  25,  that  the  Indian  agent  believed  that 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


443 


among  the  Pawnees,  Omahas,  Otoes,  and  Puncahs,  over  four 
thousand  persons  had  died  of  the  small-pox.  Of  the  three  lat 
ter  tribes  only  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  had  died,  when  the 
progress  of  the  disease  was  somewhat  checked  by  vaccination. 
There  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  mountain  tribes,  as  well  as  the 
Sioux  and  other  northern  Indians,  will  contract  the  disease,  un 
less  measures  speedily  be  adopted  to  prevent  it, 

"  May  I  entreat  your  early  consideration  of  this  subject.  I 
would  respectfully  suggest  the  inquiry,  whether  measures  could 
not  speedily  be  adopted  to  arrest  this  destroying  plague  by  vacci 
nation  ?  Those  Indians  would  submit  to  the  operation,  and  if 
the  necessary  protection  of  Government  could  be  afforded,  men 
would  be  found  who  would  penetrate  the  forests  in  search  of 
every  horde  of  these  despairing  sufferers,  for  no  higher  reward 
than  the  satisfaction  derived  from  the  circumstance  of  having 
rescued  thousands  of  men,  and  women,  and  children,  from  this 
awful  calamity. 

"  I  am,  most  respectfully,  &tc., 

"  ISAAC  McCoy, 
"  Hon.  LEWIS  CASS,  Secretary  of  War" 

On  the  27th  of  March  I  addressed  another  letter  to  the  Secre 
tary  of  War,  respecting  the  prevalence  of  the  small-pox,  of 
which  I  had  just  been  informed,  between  Lake  Michigan  and 
the  Mississippi  river.  The  Secretary  of  War  recommended  the 
subject  to  the  consideration  of  Congress.  A  scheme  for  carry 
ing  out  the  design  was  draughted;  and,  in  order  to  hasten  the 
action  of  Congress,  many  influential  members  were  waited  upon, 
and  assured  that  it  was  a  case  which  preferred  strong  claims 
upon  humanity.  A  law  was  passed  authorizing  the  Executive 
to  extend  the  benefit  of  vaccination  to  the  Indian  tribes,  and 
making  an  appropriation  to  meet  the  expense.  But  it  was  the 
misfortune  of  this  matter,  that  the  Secretary  of  War  felt  it  to 
be  his  duty  to  make  a  kind  of  general  distribution  of  the  bene 
fits  of  the  law  among  the  various  Indian  tribes  around  our  bor 
ders.  The  consequence  was,  that  the  appropriation  was  ex 
hausted,  without  doing  as  much  as  was  requisite  in  any  one 
plac^.  Nevertheless,  it  was  a  salutary  measure,  and  the  law 
was  so  framed  that  it  authorized  vaccination  on  subsequent  oc 
casions,  as  will  be  hereafter  noticed. 

About  this  time  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
made  a  decision  which  favoured  the  claims  of  the  Cherokees  to 
the  right  to  exercise  the  functions  of  civil  government.  By  this 
decision,  the  Cherokee  question,  as  it  was  called,  assumed  an 


414 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


aspect  which  seemed  to  threaten  the  tranquillity  of  the  .union 
of  the  States,  arid  which  was  exceedingly  perplexing  to  the  Ad 
ministration.  The  decision  involved  the  questions  of  Indian 
sovereignty,  State  rights,  and  State  sovereignty,  the  authority  of 
the  Federal  Government,  and  the  powers,  belonging  to  the  Su 
preme  Court.  If  the  doctrine  of  the  Supreme  Court  should  be 
carried  out  and  applied  to  all  other  tribes  as  well  as  to  the 
Cherokees,  more  than  twenty  independent,  sovereign  govern 
ments  would  be  formed  within  the  Government  of  the  United 
States.  Still  worse ;  if  the  right  of  sovereignty  should,  at  this 
late  day,  be  conceded  to  the  Cherokees,  and,  as  a  consequence, 
to  all  other  tribes,  each  tribe,  or  remnant  of  a  tribe,  would  have 
an  unquestionable  claim  upon  all  the  lands,  not  only  of  what 
they  now  occupy,  but  all  that  their  ancestors  had  claimed  ;  be 
cause  it  could  not  be  made  to  appear  that  such  claims  as  these 
under  consideration  had,  perhaps,  in  one  single  instance,  been 
liquidated  by  a  fair  bargain,  made  by  parties  meeting  upon  such 
an  equality  as  to  render  it  binding.  The  white  man  had  held 
treaties  with  the  Indian,  which  bore  a  slight  resemblance  to  a 
bargain  ;  but  every  body  knew  that  the  white  man  invariably 
controlled  the  terms  of  the  contract.  He  was  resolved  to  have 
the  land,  whether  the  Indian  consented  or  not;  and  while  he 
offered  the  terms  of  a  contract  with  one  hand,  he  held  in  the 
other  the  sword  to  enforce  a  compliance,  should  the  Indian  hesi 
tate.  A  bargain  made  under  such  circumstances,  could  not 
possibly  be  lawfully  binding.  Therefore,  admit  that  the  Indians 
were  the  real  owners  of  the  soil,  nothing  would  remain  to  the 
United  States.  The  Delawares,  for  instance,  at  present  about 
one  thousand  in  number,  would  appear  to  be  the  rightful  owners 
of  a  vast  territory  along  the  Potomac,  including  Washington, 
Baltimore,  &c.  But,  supposing  that  the  matter  would  not  ope 
rate  retrospectively;  what  is  to  be  done  ?  was,  at  the  time  of 
which  I  speak,  a  serious  question. 

Must  Georgia  lose  part  of  her  territory  within  her  chartered 
limits?  Must  the  Cherokee  and  every  other  tribe  be  admitted 
to  be  each  an  independent  sovereignty,  each  surrounded  by  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  each  making  its  own  laws,  to  which 
a  citizen  of  the  United  States  would  become  subject  the  mo 
ment  he  set  his  foot  within  the  line  of  one  of  these  small  inde 
pendent  governments.  Will  the  State  of  Georgia  acquiesce  in 
the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court?  If  not,  will  she  be  com 
pelled  to  do  so  by  force  of  arms?  If  so,  who  will  go  there  to 
contend  with  the  Georgians  in  favour  of  the  friendless  Indians  ? 
If  Georgia  should  not  be  coerced  into  measures,  but  should  be 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


445 


allowed  to  nullify  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court,  will  not 
oilier  similar  acts  of  nullification  occur,  unlil  the  Supreme  Court 
itself  shall  become  a  nullity  ?  &LC. 

All  these  were  momentous  questions,  which  at  this  time  ap 
peared  to  be  particularly  embarrassing ;  but  if,  while  they  were 
pending,  the  Cherokees  could  be  induced  to  remove  peaceably, 
the  answer  would  be  found  for  them  all ;  for,  notwithstanding 
similar  oppressions  bore  with  equal  weight  upon  other  tribes,  in 
proportion  to  their  numbers,  yet  none  seemed  to  care  for  them. 
When  the  cry  of  "cruelty  to  the  Indians"  was  reiterated,  the 
meaning  was,  "  cruelly  to  the  Cherokees."  It  therefore  became 
so  exceedingly  desirable  that  they  should  consent  to  remove, 
that  the  Government  was  prepared  to  extend  to  them  uncom 
mon  liberality  in  a  treaty.  This  being  known,  sundry  members 
of  Congress,  most  conspicuous  in  opposing  emigration,  were  re 
minded  of  the  fact,  and  that  the  present  was  the  time  for  ihe 
Cherokees  lo  make  the  best  bargain;  and,  as  all  knew  that 
whatever  might  be  the  existing  views  of  justice  or  injustice,  of 
cruelty  or  kindness,  in  relation  to  the  subject,  their  removal  at 
no  distant  day  was  inevitable,  they  were  entrealed  to  advise  the 
Cherokees,  whose  confidence  they  possessed,  to  remove.  A 
delegation  of  Cherokees,  from  the  main  body  of  the  nation,  was 
at  this  time  in  Washington. 

About  the  same  time  it  was  understood,  by  a  few,  that  the 
Cherokee  delegation  would  consent  that  their  nation  should 
come  into  a  treaty  with  the  United  States,  provided  a  certain 
gentleman,  who  was  extensively  known  among  both  the  Chero 
kees  and  in  the  United  States  to  be  a  man  of  sterling  worth, 
should  be  one  of  the  commissioners.  What  the  result  of  such 
a  treaty  would  be  was  uncertain,  but  it  was  hoped  that,  with  this 
gentleman  connected  with  the  commission,  the  terms  would 
be  such  as  to  quiet  the  disturbed  state  of  public  feeling. 
Such  a  treaty  promised,  at  that  time,  great  advantages  to  both 
the  Cherokees  and  the  United  States,  particularly  the  former ; 
and  somewhat  in  proportion  to  its  supposed  importance  were 
the  desires  of  some  to  consummate  it.  The  gentleman,  whose 
presence  in  the  commission  would  be  a  sine  qua  non  with  the 
Cherokees,  was  consulted,  and  consented  to  serve.  The  Chero 
kee  delegation  was  encouraged  to  confer  with  him.  The  second 
person  to  be  connected  with  the  commission  was  named,  and, 
thus  far,  there  appeared  just  grounds  to  expect  a  favourable 
issue.  But  sanguine  as  were  the  hopes  indulged,  obstacles  to 
the  appointment  of  a  commissioner  presented  themselves,  which, 


446 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


notwithstanding  the  efforts  made  to  remove  them,  proved  insur 
mountable,  and  the  design  failed. 

In  1830,  Mr.  Lykins  opened  a  correspondence  with  the  Rev. 
A.  Evans,  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  relative  to  his  enlisting  as  a 
missionary  to  the  Indians.  Subsequently,  a  similar  correspond 
ence  took  place  with  Mr.  Daniel  French,  of  Ohio,  who,  on  be 
coming  religious  at  the  Carey  missionary  station,  had  proposed 
to  enlist  as  a  missionary.  Up  to  April,  1832,  the  board  had 
not  made  an  appropriation  to  enable  Mr.  Lykins  to  erect  mis 
sionary  buildings  among  the  Shawanoes ;  and  while  in  Wash 
ington  I  received  a  letter  upon  these  subjects,  of  which  the 
following  is  an  extract : 

"Boston,  April  16,  1832. 

"Sin:  We  had  this  morning  a  meeting  of  the  board,  when 
your  communications  were  presented.  I  take  much  pleasure  in 
informing  you  that  your  propositions  were  unanimously  agreed 
to.  Mr.  Evans  and  Mr.  French  were  appointed  missionaries, 
and  an  order  was  passed  authorizing  the  erection  of  buildings  by 
Mr.  Lykins,  as  you  had  suggested. 

"  I  am,  my  dear  friend  and  brother,  most  truly  yours, 

"  H.  LINCOLN. 
"Rev.  I.  McCoy." 

Under  date  of  one  day  later  than  the  foregoing  letter,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Bolles,  Corresponding  Secretary,  wrote  me  as  follows : 

"  I  hope  you  may  be  able  to  procure  [from  the  Government] 
the  place  for  a  school  teacher  among  the  Choctaws.  We  should 
certainly  try  to  furnish  a  good  minister  for  the  situation,"  &c. 

Between  the  24th  of  April  and  the  4th  of  May,  I  attended 
a  meeting  of  the  Baptist  Triennial  Convention  in  the  city  of 
New- York,  and  a  meeting  of  its  board  of  managers.  The  Rev. 
Charles  E.  Wilson  and  the  Rev.  D.  Lewis  were  appointed 
missionaries,  the  latter  to  labour  among  the  Choctaws,  though" 
he  afterward^  located  among  the  Creeks ;  and  the  former  to 
enter  the  Indian  territory  among  the  Shawanoes,  and  afterwards 
to  labour  as  circumstances  should  direct. 

Owing  to  the  peculiar  condition  of  the  Indians,  missions 
among  them  are  liable  to  be  affected  by  politics.  The  Govern 
ment  of  the  United  States  controls  the  affairs  of  the  Indians, 
and  in  proportion  as  the  benevolent  feel  interested  in  their  wel 
fare,  is  the  facility  with  which  political  parties  can  make  hobbies 
of  Indian  questions.  About  this  time,  political  excitement  was 
at  an  alarming  height;  the  parties  were  preparing  themselves 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


447 


for  a  vigorous  contest  at  the  Presidential  election,  which  was  to 
take  place  the  ensuing  autumn.  With  politics  it  was  not  my 
business  to  meddle,  and  hence  1  approached  the  members  of 
both  political  parties  with  the  same  confidence  in  reference  to 
measures,  and  urged  with  equal  freedom  the  reasons  which  in 
duced  me  to  think  that  they  were,  right  or  wrong ;  but,  for  the 
reasons  alluded  to,  it  was  difficult  to  produce  any  right  action, 
either  of  the  Government  or  of  benevolent  associations. 

The  board  of  missions  at  this  Convention  submitted  a  report, 
agreeably  to  custom,  and  in  this  report  they  spoke  of  the  affairs 
of  all  their  Indian  missions,  excepting  those  within  the  Indian 
territory.  The  same  omission  had  occurred  in  their  annual  re 
port  of  the  preceding  year.  This  omission  was  deeply  regretted 
by  some,  because,  the  tribes  in  the  territory  were  finding  per 
manent  homes,  in  lieu  of  those  which  were  precarious — a  coun 
try  in  which  every  man  would  be  on  an  equality  with  his 
neighbours,  and  where  they  could  cultivate  the  arts  and  sciences 
under  circumstances  affording  facilities  similar  to  those  enjoyed 
in  new  settled  countries  of  white  people ;  and  especially,  be 
cause  that  here  the  missionary  could  keep  his  flock  together, 
and  enjoy  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  its  numbers  increase  with 
his  years.  It  therefore  appeared  proper  for  the  board  to  tell 
the  story  to  the  public  plainly,  and  encourage  missionaries  to 
enter  this  inviting  field. 

Mr.  Cone,  who  was  President  of  the  Convention,  and  second 
to  none  in  promoting  Indian  missions,  made  a  judicious  selection 
of  a  Committee  on  Indian  missions.  It  consisted  of  the  Rev. 
Gentlemen  J.  L.  Dagg,  Chairman,  Elon  Galusha,  David  Jones, 
Adiel  Sherwood,  and  L.  Farwell,  Esq.  This  committee  made 
an  able  report,  which  set  the  affairs  of  the  Indian  territory  in  a 
clearer  light  than  any  thing  of  the  kind  which  had  previously 
appeared.*  As  might  be  expected,  this  report  was  not  accept 
able  to  the  acting  members  of  their  board,  who  resided  in  Mas 
sachusetts  and  Rhode-Island.  It  was  objected  to  by  a  very 
small  minority,  who  were  too  tenacious  of  their  views  to  cheer 
fully  acquiesce  in  the  judgment  of  the  majority.  They  first 
pleaded  for  amendments,  and,  through  the  forbearance  of  a 
large  majority,  whittled  down  the  report,  greatly  to  its  disad 
vantage.  At  length,  every  sentence  having  been  examined, 
and  every  thing  being  in  apparent  readiness  to  take  the  final 
vote  upon  its  adoption,  it  was  proposed  to  substitute  a  few  lines, 
written  in  general  terms.  The  advocates  of  the  original  report 
now  stood  forth  manfully  in  its  defence,  and  made  some  noble 

*  See  this  rejected  report  in  the  Appendix. 


448 


HISTORY    OK    BAPTIST 


speeches  in  favour  of  placing  Indian  affairs  fully  before  the  pub 
lic,  and  enforcing  the  claims  of  the  Indians  on  the  benevolent 
attention  of  the  Convention.  Among  those  who  distinguished 
themselves  were  the  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  L.  Dagg,  Elon  Galusha, 
Luther  Rice,  David  Jones,  and  Stephen  Chapin,  D.  D.  A  very 
small  minority,  indeed,  appeared  on  the  side  of  the  substitute, 
one  of  whom  moved  the  indefinite  postponement  of  the  subject, 
and  argued  that  it  could  do  no  harm,  should  the  Convention 
make  no  report  on  Indian  affairs.  The  result  was,  the  majority, 
by'a  stretch  of  lenity  more  consistent  with  Christian  courtesy 
than  with  the  interests  of  the  Indians,  yielded  to  the  admission 
of  an  invalid  report.  The  substance  of  the  plea  of  the  minor 
ity  was,  that  to  report  the  condition  and  prospects  of  the  Indians 
in  their  territory,  would  be  construed  to  be  a  political  measure. 
But  for  these  fears  there  appeared  no  just  ground  ;  because  the 
Convention  would  appear  before  the  public  as  it  had  for  many 
years,  in  favour  of  giving  to  the  tribes  a  permanent  and  pros 
perous  home.  On  the  contrary,  its  silence  would  appear  like 
changing  its  ground,  and,  with  plausibility,  might  be  ascribed  to 
the  influence  of  the  political  party  which  opposed  the  settlement 
of  the  Indians  in  the  West. 

Still  hoping  that  we  should  find  missionaries  to  enable  us  to 
extend  our  operations  among  the  Indians,  we  had,  at  various 
times,  proposed  to  the  proper  authorities  of  Government  the 
establishing  of  missions  in  divers  places,  and  asked  for  help  from 
certain  funds  provided  for  educational  purposes.  The  scheme 
was  fully  explained  to  the  board,  who  resolved  to  second  the 
efforts  which  had  previously  been  made,  and  accordingly  ad 
dressed  a  communication  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  trans 
mitted  it  by  Thomas  Stocks,  Esq.,  and  Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood, 
both  of  the  State  of  Georgia. 

Believing,  as  some  of  us  had  done  for  several  years,  that  it 
would  i>e  for  the  advantage  of  our  Indian  missions  for  them  to 
be  placed  under  the  patronage  of  a  board  of  managers  appointed 
specially  for  Indian  affairs,  I  resolved  on  a  third  attempt  to 
sever  the  existing  connection  between  the  missionaries  and  the 
present  board,  and  prepared  a  resolution  to  that  effect,  to  be 
submitted  to  the  consideration  of  the  Convention ;  but  after 
conference  with  some  friends,  in  whom  I  placed  great  confi 
dence,  the  communication  was  withheld,  because  it  was  feared 
that  a  competent  number,  sufficiently  interested  in  Indian  affairs, 
could  not  be  found  within  a  convenient  distance  for  the  transac 
tion  of  business. 

Under  date  of  May  21,  1832,  additional  instructions  were 


INDIAN   MISSIONS.  449 

given  ine  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  in  reference  to  the  exami 
nation  of  the  Indian  country,  and  the  adjustment  of  Indian  bound 
aries,  &c.  In  the  discharge  of  these  duties  I  was  authorized 
to  appoint  an  assistant,  and  I  employed  John  Donelson,  Esq., 
who  had  previously  been  one  of  my  assistant  surveyors.  A  bill 
was  at  this  time  under  consideration  in  Congress,  providing  for 
the  appointment  of  three  commissioners  to  attend  to  matters  in 
the  Indian  territory  for  the  two  subsequent  years.  I  was  in 
structed  to  report  ail  my  proceedings  to  these  commissioners,  on 
their  arrival. 

I  was  now  animated  with  the  prospect  of  speedily  terminating 
a  most  painful  separation  from  my  family.  1  had  left  my  son, 
Doctor  McCoy,  sick  on  the  1st  of  February,  when  there  was 
reason  to  fear  that  I  should  see  him  no  more.  Intelligence  after 
received  from  home  assured  me  that  those  fears  were  too  well 
founded;  still  a  faint  hope  remained  that  I  might  be  allowed  to 
attend  his  dying  moments.  I  left  Washington  on  the  2 1st  of 
May.  In  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  I  met  a  letter  from  Mrs.  McCoy, 
which  left  no  hope  of  seeing  my  son  again.  My  slender  con 
stitution  now  sunk  somewhat,  under  incessant  anxiety  and  toil. 
My  health  became  not  a  little  impaired,  and  was  not  restored 
for  several  months.  At  St.  Louis,  by  a  letter  from  my  afflicted 
wife,  I  was  informed  that  our  dear  Rice  had  died  five  days, pre 
viously.  A  note  in  my  journal  reads:  "  I  reached  Mr.  Ly- 
kins's,  the  place  of  my  afflicted  family,  June  8th.  This  was  a 
meeting  never  to  be  forgotten.  For  some  time  scarcely  a  word 
was  spoken,  while  every  face  was  suffused  with  tears,  and  every 
bosom  heaved  with  sighs.  O,  what  distress  sin  has  introduced' 
into  the  world  !"  This  was  the  seventh  child  of  which  we  had 
been  bereaved,  all  of  whom  died  after  we  had  become  mission 
aries,  the  decease  of  five  of  whom  my  wife  had  attended  in  my 
absence.  This  circumstance  added  poignancy  to  the  pain  of 
bereavement.  My  pain  was  greatly  augmented  in  this  last  case, 
by  the  great  anxiety  which  our  son  had  expressed  to  see  me 
before  he  died.  Moreover,  I  was  not  quite  satisfied  that  I  had 
done  right  in  leaving  my  wife  to  bear  alone  this  additional  afflic 
tion.  True,  I  had  not  left  home  on  any  of  those  afflictive  oc 
casions,  without  her  approbation ;  and  we  had  concluded  that 
when  the  interests  of  our  missions  demanded  my  separation  from 
my  family,  it  would  be  most  safe  to  go,  and  leave  the  result  with 
God,  trusting  that  that  which  seemed  mysterious  in  Providence 
now,  would  be  joyously  revealed  in  a  better  world.  We  felt 
these  afflictions  the  more  keenly,  too,  because  we  had  long  been 
separated  very  much  from -society,  and  we  often  felt  that  our. 
57 


450  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

circumstance?,  in  regard  to  the  friendship  of  others,  too  nearly 
resembled  those  of  the  people  to  whose  relief  we  had  conse 
crated  our  lives,  and  whose  sympathizing  friends  were  few. 
But  God  had  ever  been  with  us  in  our  deepest  afflictions.  He 
was  present  when  our  late  son  died.  As  he  took  his  leave  of 
hrs  sisters  and  brothers,  and  mother,  the  latter  exclaimed,  "  O, 
that  his  father  were  present!"  He  calmly  replied,  for  her  con 
solation,  "  My  heavenly  Father  will  take  care  of  me."  Such 
had  been  the  state  of  his  mind  for  some  time,  that  no  room  was 
left  to  doubt  that  his  soul  went  to  heaven,  and  we  recorded 
on  our  hearts  and  in  our  journal,  "  This  is  worth  ten  thousand 
worlds  ;  '  O  death  where  is  thy  sting !  O  grave  where  is  thy 
victory  !'  '  How  often  infinite  wisdom  sees  fit  to  disappoint  us  ! 
Now,  two  sons,  from  whom  we  had  hoped  to  obtain  much  assist 
ance  in  the  arduous  work  of  Indian  reform,  and  whose  qualifica 
tions  were  doubtless  of  superior  order,  were  gone. 

Soon  after  my  return  home,  the  Shawanoes  were  informed  by 
Mr.  Lykins  and  myself,  that  the  former  had  been  put  in  posses 
sion  of  the  means  of  erecting  missionary  buildings.  Mr.  Evans 
had  arrived,  who  would  teach  a  school,  &tc.  The  site  was  se 
lected,  and  Mr.  Lykins  proceeded  to  erect  buildings. 

At  this  time  my  family  was  without  any  settled  place  of  resi 
dence.  My  business  extended  widely  over  the  Indian  territory, 
and  sometimes  to  the  eastern  parts  of  the  United  States,  and, 
all  things  considered,  it  was  thought  best  to  purchase  a  small 
piece  of  land,  worth  only  fifty  dollars,  near  the  line  of  the  State 
of  Missouri,  and  adjoining  the  Shawanoes,  and-  on  it  to  erect 
dwellings.  In  order  to  facilitate  the  work,  we  pitched  our  tent 
in  the  wilderness,  on  the  ground  we  had  chosen  for  our  build 
ings.  We  employed  a  considerable  number  of  labourers,  and, 
in  the  space  of  four  weeks,  we  exchanged  our  tents  for  the  roofs 
of  log  dwellings;  they  were  ordinary,  it  is  true,  but  in  this  place 
they  were  esteemed  comfortable.  As  in  the  case  of  Samson's  rid 
dle,  nourishment  is  sometimes  derived  from  an  unexpected  source. 
The  spirits  and  health  of -both  Mrs.  McCoy  and  myself  had  for 
some  time,  apparently,  been  sinking  under  protracted  anxieties. 
The  circumstances  of  spending  four  weeks  in  a  tent,  and  of  build 
ing  us  a  house,  while  managing  our  missionary  matters,  furnished 
a  variety,  in  scenery,  in  thought,  and  in  act,  promotive  of  both 
health  and  spirits. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July  and  fore  part  of  August,  I  made  a 
tour  of  a  few  days  in  the  wilderness,  for  the  purpose  of  selecting 
lands  for  the  Ottawas,  and  of  giving  directions  to  the  surveyor. 

On  the  10th  of  August,  1832,  the  Rev.  Charles  E.  Wilson, 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


451 


who  had  been  appointed  by  the  board  of  missions  the  preceding 
spring,  arrived.  On  the  27th  1  left  home  on  business  on  the 
Arkansas,  (three  hundred  miles.)  The  Rev.  Mr.  Dodge  and 
the  Rev.  Cephas  Washburn,  the  latter  from  Dwight  mission, 
among  the  Cherokees,  were  holding  religious  meetings  among 
the  Osages,  as  I  passed  their  villages,  and  very  affectionately  in 
vited  me  to  take  part  in  the  exercises.  Probably  two  hundred 
Osages  attended  public  worship  on  the  forenoon  of  the  3d  of 
September ;  in  the  afternoon  there  were  fewer.  It  was  in  tha 
hearts  of  these  good  Presbyterians  to  do  them  good ;  but  the 
success  of  labours  for  that  people,  if  it  be  proper  to  employ  the 
term  success  in  relation  to  them,  was  small. 

Mr.  Lewis,  whose  appointment  to  missionary  labours  had  been 
made  by  the  board  the  previous  spring,  was  designed  at  the  time 
to  locate  among  the  Choctaws.  But  the  board  had  left  the  mat 
ter  of  location  to  me,  and  to  attend  to  this  was  a  prominent 
reason  for  making  this  tour.  I  found  him  among  the  Creeks, 
near  Mr.  Davis,  the  Creek  missionary;  and  here  it  was  ulti 
mately  decided  that  he  should  locate.  The  necessary  permis 
sion  from  the  United  States'  agent,  General  Campbell,  was  ob 
tained  for  him,  a  site  selected  for  his  location,  and  a  workman 
engaged  to  erect  buildings  for  his  residence  and  a  school.  He 
was  without  funds,  and  so  remote  from  the  board,  that  remit 
tances  to  him  were  often  attended  with  unavoidable  delay.  I 
advanced  to  him  what  money  I  could  spare,  and  afterwards  re 
mitted  to  him  at  different  times,  all  which  was  afterwards  repaid 
to  me.  Mr.  Lewis  was  expected  to  open  a  school  for  the  in 
struction  of  Creek  youth ;  and  as  soon  as  practicable  it  was  de 
signed  to  employ  another  school  teacher,  so  that  he  as  well  as 
Mr.  Davis,  might  give  themselves  to  ministerial  labours.  On 
the  9th  of  September,  I  constituted  the  Muscogee  Baptist 
Church,  consisting  of  Mr.  Lewis  and  wife,  Mr.  Davis,  and  three 
black  men,  who  were  slaves  to  the  Creeks.  In  the  afternoon 
we  worshipped  in  another  place  in  the  neighbourhood.  On  both 
occasions  the  exercises  were  interesting,  and  few,  if  any,  ap 
peared  to  leave  the  places  of  worship  without  feeling  that  it 
was  good  to  have  been  there. 

This  was  the  first  Baptist  church  formed  in  the  Indian  terri 
tory,  and  1  felt  thankful  to  God  that  he  had  allowed  me  the 
satisfaction  of  witnessing  the  constitution  of  one  church  in  this 
land,  towards  which  some  of  us  had  long  looked  with  such 
deep  solicitude. 

The  first  act  of  the  church,  after  organizing,  was  to  order  a 
written  license,  as  a  preacher,  to  be  given  to  Mr,  Davis,  tho 


452 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


Creek  missionary,  and  I  was  directed  to  prepare  the  same.  Mr. 
Davis  was  interpreter  for  others  in  preaching,  and  also  preached 
and  exhorted  himself,  in  his  mother  tongue. 

On  the  16th  of  September  two  Indian  men  were  baptized. 
After  which,  the  Lord's  supper  was  administered,  and  we  re 
tired  under  a  happy  impression  that  another  meeting  of  two 
days  had  been  profitable  to  many. 

Christians  of  all  denominations  are  prone  to  open  too  widely 
the  doors  of  their  churches  for  the  admission  of  members,  and 
take  into  fellowship  the  unregenerate.  Missionaries  to  the  hea 
then  are  more  liable  to  fall  into  this  error  than  Christians  in 
civilized  countries.  They  feel  uncommon  anxiety  for  the  con 
version  of  the  people  of  their  charge,  which  is  opposed  by 
uncommon  obstacles.  Rules  of  discipline  must  be  more  lenient 
towards  heathen,  whose  habits  have  been  unrestrained,  and 
whose  minds  are  uncultivated,-than  is  indispensable  in  countries 
denominated  Christian.  In  the  ardour  of  the  missionary,  he  is 
too  liable  to  endeavour  to  persuade  himself  and  others  that  they 
are  Christians  when  they  are  not.  This  is  an  evil  from  which, 
I  think,  no  denomination  of  Christians  is  free.  When  we  hear 
of  conversions  in  revivals  of  religion  in  our  own  country,  or  of  the 
•conversion  of  the  heathen,  a  fear  that  many  of  those  who  have  put 
on  Christ,  by  profession,  are  still  "  in  the  gall  of  bitterness  and 
bonds  of  iniquity,"  is  a  heavy  drawback  upon  the  happiness 
which  such  intelligence  would  otherwise  impart.  I  might  quote 
many  cases  in  the  Indian  country,  confirmatory  of  the  reason 
ableness  of  these  fears ;  but  the  following  shall  suffice. 

Among  the  Creeks  were  a  few  members  of  a  respectable  de 
nomination  who  gave  evidence  of  genuine  piety.  J\ot  many 
weeks  before  my  present  visit  to  that  country,  a  camp  meeting 
was  held  in  the  Creek  settlement  by  that  denomination.  But 
little  of  the  public  services  were  interpreted  to  the  Indians,  and 
few  understood  English.  In  the  progress  of  the  exercises,  pub- 
tic  notice  was  given  that  they  were  ready  to  receive  members 
into  the  church.  The  religious  males  were  directed  to  take  all 
the  males  who  desired  to  join  the  church,  and  stand  upon  one 
side  of  the  congregation,  and  the  pious  females  were  requested 
to  do  likewise  with  all  the  females  who  desired  to  become  mem 
bers.  This  done,  the  minister  went  around  among  them  and 
took  the  name  of  each  on  paper,  and  on  the  following  day  they 
came  to  the  Lord's  table ! 

Another  denomination,  not  less  respectable  than  the  first,  had 
increased  the  number  of  its  members  among  the  Creeks  to 
about  sixty.  At  our  late  Baptist  meetings,  many  of  these. 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


453 


chiefly  coloured  slaves,  came  forward  and  offered  their  mem 
bership,  and  desired  to  be  immersed,  and,  much  to  our  grief,  few 
of  them  could  give  any  thing  like  a  satisfactory  account  of  a 
work  of  grace  upon  their  souls.  Ten  persons  who  offered 
themselves  at  one  time  were  turned  away,  and  many  others  ap 
pearing  to  be  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  come  forward  for  a 
similar  purpose,  the  meeting  was  dismissed,  but  not  without  ad 
vice  to  them  all  respecting  repentance. 

On  all  suitable  occasions  I  entreated  Mr.  Lewis  and  Mr. 
Davis  not  to  admit  to  fellowship  in  the  Baptist  church  any  who 
could  not  give  satisfactory  evidence  of  their  conversion  to  God.. 
This  was  enforced  by  arguments  based  upon  the  awful,  respon 
sibility  that  rested  upon  us  when  dealing  in  matters  relating  to 
the  souls  of  our  fellow-men,  especially  the  souls  of  the  heathen, 
who  acknowledged  their  ignorance  and  placed  confidence  in  our 
judgment.  I  urged  these  considerations  until  I  was  ashamed  to 
repeat  them.  Notwithstanding  all  which,  I  had  too  much  rea 
son  to  fear  that  Mr.  Lewis  indulged  this  awful  error. 

Among  the  Cherokees  east  of  the  Mississippi  the  Baptist 
board  of  missions  patronised  the  Rev.  Evan  Jones  and  the 
Rev.  Duncan  O'Bryant.  in  the  summer  of  1832,  the  latter 
removed  to  the  Cherokee  country,  within  the  Indian  territory, 
in  company  of  some  Indian  members  of  his  church.  On  hear 
ing  of  his  arrival,  1  opened  a  correspondence  with  him,  and  re 
quested  him  to  attend  an  association  of  missionaries,  which  we 
hoped  might  be  had  the  following  January.  Such  meetings 
were  desirable,  in  order  to  consult  the  best  measures  for  mission 
ary  operations,  and  to  harmonize  our  views,  and  at  which  also 
we  might  encourage  each  others'  hearts,  and  strengthen  each 
others'  hands;  but  this  design  was  not  perfected. 

I  returned  to  my  family  on  the  24th  of  September.  By  this 
time  matters  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Lykins  had  so  far 
advanced,  that  public  religious  exercises  were  held  in  the  mis 
sion  buildings,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Shawanoes,  and  a  small 
school  of  Indian  children  attended,  to  receive  instruction  from 
Mr.  Evans.  We  had  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  Mr.  Wilson 
ought  to  commence  a  mission  among  the  Osages,  but  about  this 
time  he  located  among  the  Delawares. 

Some  of  the  Weas  had  requested  us  to' establish  a  mission 
among  them,  and  the  opening  for  usefulness  appeared  favour 
able.  About  this  time  a  treaty  was  being  held  with  them  in  St. 
Louis.  Also,  a  treaty  was  about  to  be  held  with  the  Putawato- 
mies  of  Indiana.  Both  these  treaties  Mr.  Lykins  had  desired 
lo  attend,  in  order  to  encourage  the  adoption  of  stipulations  in 


454 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


favour  of  education,  but  he  found  it  impracticable.  He  wrote, 
however,  respectfully  requesting  that  provision  should  be  made 
for  educational  purposes,  which  effort  of  his  was  seconded  by 
letters,  on  my  return  from  Arkansas  ;  but  no  such  provision 
was  made  in  either  treaty. 

I  was  allowed  only  eleven  days  to  remain  with  my  family, 
when  it  became  necessary  for  me  to  make  another  tour  to  Ar 
kansas,  in  order  to  report  to  the  three  commissioners  on  Indian 
affairs,  who  had  recently  been  appointed,  viz :  Messrs.  H.  L. 
Ellsworth,  M.  Stokes,  and  J.  F.  Schermerhorn.  Under  exces 
sive  fatigue,  an  injury  which  a  lower  limb  had  received,  by  the 
fall  of  my  horse  four  years  before,  was  aggravated,  and  subject 
ed  me  to  much  inconvenience  for  upwards  of  a  year. 

On  the  14th  of  October  thirty-seven  persons  were  baptized 
at  a  meeting  of  the  Muscogee  Baptist  Church,  eight  or  ten  of 
whom  were  Creeks,  and  the  rest,  excepting  one,  coloured  per 
sons,  and  all  slaves.  On  the  10th  of  November  nine  were 
baptized,  three  of  whom  were  Indians.  On  the  same  day  a 
Sunday-school  was  commenced  under  auspicious  circumstances. 
At  this  period  missionary  matters  at  this  station  were  truly  pros 
perous. 

[  urged  Mr.  Davis  to  submit  to  ordination.  He  was  a  man 
of  respectable  talents,  but  such  was  his  modest  diffidence  that 
he  lacked  confidence  in  himself,  and  fora  while  hesitated.  He 
was,  however,  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  not  long 
after. 

Previous  to  this  time,  Mr.  Donelson,  who  had  been  associ 
ated  with  me  in  Indian  affairs,  resigned.  I  made  a  report  to  the 
commissioners  of  the  affairs  in  the  Indian  territory,  so  far  as  I 
had  knowledge  of  them,  and  recommended  such  measures  as  I 
thought  ought  to  be  adopted.  After  which  I  left  Arkansas  for 
my  home  on  the  14th  of  November,  having  with  me  a  hired 
black  man.  On  the  17th  it  rained  on  us  all  day.  The  follow 
ing  was  the  Sabbath,  which  we  spent  with  Mr.  Dodge,  among 
the  Osages.  The  storm  had  been  increasing  in  severity,  and  on 
Monday  morning  the  snow  was  deep,  the  weather  cold,  and  the 
wind  high.  As  the  cold  had  increased,  the  rains  which  were 
falling,  froze,  until  every  spear  of  grass  was  literally  braced  up 
by  a  coating  of  ice,  and  every  twig  of  a  tree  or  shrub,  half 
an  inch  in  circumference,  was  increased  to  the  size  of  a  min's 
finger.  Our  whole,  day's  journey  lay  through  open  prairie,  ex 
cepting  two  or  three  small  groves  of  timber,  of  a  few  hundrt?d 
yards  each.  I  was  afraid  to  set  out  with  no  more  assistance 
than  my  coloured  man,  and  employed  a  hardy  young  white  man 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


455 


to  accompany  us.  I  rode  in  a  small  two  horse  wagon.  We 
had  not  proceeded  more  than  five  miles  before  we  regretted 
that  we  had  left  a  shelter.  The  wind  blew  the  light  snow  off 
the  prairies  until  we  were  so  enveloped  as  scarcely  to  be  able  to 
perceive  which  way  to  proceed.  In  places  it  was  drifted  until 
it  was  very  deep.  The  waters  had  been  swollen  by  the  rains 
with  which  the  storm  had  commenced,  and  were  now  covered 
with  ice.  The  wind  being  upon  our  backs,  to  turn  and  retrace 
our  steps  would  require  us  to  face  it,  which  we  were  afraid  to  do, 
lest  we  should  freeze  before  we  could  reach  the  house  of  Mr. 
Dodge  which  we  had  left.  We  therefore  went  forward,  and 
halted  in  the  first  grove.  By  this  time  the  coloured  man,  who 
had  been  riding  on  horseback,  was  much  chilled,  and  fancied 
himself  so  nearly  dead,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  I  could  in 
duce  him  to  stir  on  his  feet.  Every  thing  combustible  was 
covered  with  ice,  so  that  the  prospect  of  making  a  fire  appeared 
to  us  all  very  gloomy,  but  most  so  to  the  poor  negro.  Anticipa 
ting  our  dangers  from  cold  and  the  difficulty  of  procuring  fire, 
I  had  prepared  for  the  contingency  by  bringing  in  our  little 
wagon  some  dry  hay  and  wood.  We  found  a  place  where  part 
of  a  large  fallen  tree  was  a  little  elevated  above  the  ground, 
under  which  there  was  less  ice  and  snow  than  elsewhere,  and 
where  we  succeeded  in  making  a  fire,  by  the  side  of  which  we 
pitched  our  tent,  and  remained  through  the  day  and  the  follow 
ing  night.  In  most  of  our  wilderness  journeyings,  it  is  our  cus 
tom  to  prepare  and  eat  breakfast  before  or  at  the  opening  of 
day.  We  reached  home  on  the  23d  of  November,  1832. 

On  the  departure  of  some  of  us  from  Carey,  in  1828,  our 
church  had  become  so  much  scattered,  that  its  meetings  were 
unavoidably  omitted.  Its  first  meeting  had  taken  place  in  my 
late  absence,  at  the  Shawanoe  mission  house.  Mr.  D.  French, 
who,  some  months  previously,  had  been  appointed  a  mis 
sionary  by  the  board,  had  by  this  time  arrived.  Mr.  Lewis, 
who  was  originally  designed  to  occupy  a  station  among  the 
Choctaws,  having  located  among  the  Creeks,  it  was  now  de 
cided  that  Mr.  Wilson,  who  had  lately  gone  among  the  Dela- 
wares,  should  repair  to  the  Choctaws ;  and  he  accordingly  left 
the  Delawares  on  the  13th  of  December. 

We  resolved,  however,  not  to  abandon  the  Delawares,  but 
to  afford  them  such  assistance  as  our  opportunities  would  allow. 
It  was  the  23d  of  February,  1833,  when  Mr.  Lykins,  accom 
panied  by  Mr.  French,  made  a  visit  of  three  days  among  them, 
with  a  view  of  instituting  preaching  regularly,  and  of  establish 
ing  a  school.  He  wrote  the  board,  proposing  to  employ  a 


456 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


school  teacher,  and  to  hire  an  Indian  family,  with  which  he  had 
lormed  an  acquaintance,  to  prepare  a  little  food  once  a  day  for 
such  scholars  as  should  attend  from  their  homes.  A  young 
man,  Mr.  1.  D.  Blanchard,  though  not  a  member  of  our  church, 
had  gone  among  the  Dela wares  from  henevolent  motives,  and 
was  studying  the  Delaware  language  with  the  view  of  being 
useful  to  them.  Him  Mr.  Lykins  designed  to  employ  as  teacher. 
We  also  sought  and  obtained  the  necessary  permission  from  the 
Government.  These  movements  were  submitted  to  the  consi 
deration  of  the  board,  and  approved.  On  the  21st  of  April  Mr. 
Blanchard  was  baptized. 

We  attached  much  importance  to  the  establishment  of  a 
printing  press  in  the  Indian  territory.  Mr.  Cone,  of  New- York, 
was  addressed,  and  inquiry  made  of  him,  whether  an  association 
could  be  formed  with  a  view  of  sustaining  a  press  by  contribu 
tion,  if  it  could  not  be  made  to  support  itself.  I  wrote  also  to 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  elsewhere,  on  the  same  subject,  and  also 
at  different  times  pressed  its  consideration  on  the  board. 

While  our  mission  at  Carey,  Michigan,  was  in  successful 
operation,  a  Kickapoo,  denominated  "  the  Prophet,"  sent  us  a 
request,  by  one  of  our  former  Indian  pupils  and  a  white  trader, 
that  we  would  furnish  his  party  with  a  school,  &tc.  The  party 
was  then  on  the  Illinois  river,  some  one  hundred  miles  from 
Carey,  and  we  could  not  at  that  time  comply  with  their  request. 
Subsequently,  the  Kickapoos  removed  to  the  Indian  territory, 
and  among  them  came  the  Prophet  and  his  party,  who  passed 
my  house  about  the  middle  of  May,  1833. 

Of  the  religious  opinions,  forms,  and  ceremonies  of  the  Pro 
phet  and  his  party,  we  knew  very  little  ;  but  the  circumstance 
of  his  once  having  requested  us  to  favour  his  party  with  a  mis 
sion,  and  the  report  that  they  abstained  from  the  use  of  ardent 
spirits,  induced  us  to  make  an  effort  to  do  that  for  them  at  this 
time  which  they  formerly  requested.  We  had  already  com 
menced  preparations  for  a  mission  to  each  of  the  earlier  emi 
grant  tribes,  and  help  from  Government,  applicable  to  the  sup 
port  of  a  school  for  the  Kickapoos,  by  virtue  of  a  treaty  stipu 
lation,  had  been  asked  for,  and  we  had  proposed  that  Mr.  French 
should  labour  among  them. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  Prophet  and  his  party,  Mr.  Lykins 
visited  them,  and  made  known  to  them  our  design  to  help  them  ; 
and  I  being  at  the  time  confined  to  my  bed  by  indisposition,  the 
Prophet  was  brought  to  my  house.  For  a  few  weeks,  it  was 
hoped  that  the  religious  disposition  of  the  party  would  facilitate 
our  labours  among  the  tribe  generally,  but  in  this  we  soon  dis- 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  457 

covered  that  we  had  been  mistaken.  The  Prophet's  religion, 
as  they  denominated  it,  appeared  to  be  a  step  from  savage 
blindness  into  greater  absurdity.  Mr.  French  spent  a  short 
time  among  the  Kickapoos,  when,  from  the  smallness  of  their 
number,  and  the  design  of  the  Methodists  to  establish  a  mission 
among  them,  we  concluded  that  Mr.  French  could  be  more 
useful  elsewhere,  and  the  place  was  abandoned. 

Kenekuk,  the  Prophet,  claimed  the  honour  of  being  the 
founder  of  his  own  sect,  which  he  had  been  enabled  to  do  by 
divine  inspiration.  His  adherents  were  about  four  hundred 
souls,  about  half  of  whom  were  Putawatomies.  He  professed 
to  receive  all  that  he  taught  immediately  from  the  Great  Spirit, 
by  a  supernatural  agency.  He  taught  abstinence  from  the  use 
of  ardent  spirits,  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  and  some 
other  good  morals,  though,  in  point  of  practice,  the  morals  of 
the  party  were  scarcely,  if  any  better  than  those  of  their  disso 
lute  kindred. 

The  religious  opinions  of  Indians  who  have  received  no  im 
pressions  from  other  people  are  remarkably  uniform,  excluding 
the  absurdity  of  idol  worship,  and  embracing  the  fundamental 
truths  of  the  existence  of  God  and  his  overruling  providence, 
man's  accountability,  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  future  re 
wards  and  punishments,  a  consciousness  of  guilt  for  offences 
against  God,  &c.  Their  external  ceremonies  embrace  sacrifices 
for  the  purpose  of  propitiating  the  Deity,  and  festivals,  accom 
panied  with  music,  dancing,  speeches,  unmeaning  noises,  &LC. 

The  formula  of  the  Prophet  had  evidently  not  been  framed 
from  ideas  purely  Indian,  and  they  more  nearly  resembled 
those  of  the  Catholics  than  any  other  sect.  Congregational 
worship  was  performed  among  them,  and  the  exercises  lasted 
from  one  to  three  hours.  They  heard  speeches  from  the  Pro 
phet,  and  all  united  in  articulating  a  kind  of  prayer,  expressed 
in  broken  sentences  often  repeated,  in  a  monotonous  sing-song 
tone,  equalling  in  length  about  two  measures  of  a  common 
psalm  tune.  All  in  unison  engaged  in  this  ;  and,  in  order  to  pre 
serve  harmony  in  words,  each  held  in  his  or  her  hand  a  small 
board,  about  an  inch  and  a  half  broad  and  about  ten  inches 
long,  upon  which  was  engraved  arbitrary  characters,  which  they 
followed  up  with  their  finger  until  the  last  character  admonished 
them  that  they  had  completed  the 'prayer.  These  characters 
were  five  in  number.  The  first  represented  the  heart ;  the 
second,  the  heart,  affections,  and  flesh  ;  the  third,  the  life  ;  the 
fourth,  names ;  the  fifth,  kindred.  During  the  service  these 
characters  were  gone  over  several  times ;  the  first  time,  the  per- 

58 


458 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


son  spoke  as  ifhe  supposed  himself  on  earth  ;  the  second,  as  if 
he  were  approaching  the  door  of  the  house  of  God  ;  then  at  the 
door,  &c.  Putting  their  finger  to  the  lowest  character,  they 
would  say,  "  O,  our  Father,  think  of  our  hearts  as  thou  dost 
think  about  the  door  of  thy  house,  &c.  O,  our  Father,  bless  our 
heart  and  its  clothing,  [the  body,]  make  it  like  thine,  as  strong 
as  thine,  &c.  Make  it  like  thy  house,  like  the  door  of  thy 
house,  like  the  ground  about  thy  house,  like  thy  staff,  &cc.  O, 
our  Father,  put  our  name  with  thy  name,  think  of  it  as  thou  dost 
of  thy  house,  the  door,  the  ground  about  thy  house,  thy  staff," 
&LC.  The  repetitions  were  exceedingly  frequent,  almost  the 
same  words  of  a  short  sentence  being  repeated  many  times, 
and  all  apparently  unmeaning.  Certain  persons  were  appointed 
to  use  the  rod,  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  order  in  religious 
worship.  The  application  of  tlje  rod  to  offenders,  by  these 
whippers,  was  used  as  a  kind  of  discipline  in  all  cases  of  offen 
ces.  The  offender,  whose  crime  might  be  known  only  to  him 
self,  was  taught  that  it  was  his  duty  to  apply  to  one  of  the  four 
or  five  whippers,  and  state  that  he  had  committed  an  offence, 
for  the  punishment  of  which  he  desired  that  so  many  stripes 
might  be  inflicted  upon  his  bare  back.  Having  received  the 
flagellation,  which  often  brought  blood,  the  penitent  would  shake 
hands  with  the  executioner,  and  others  near,  returning  thanks 
for  the  favour  done  him,  and  declaring  that  he  felt  relieved  of  a 
heavy  burden. 

The  Prophet  had  two  or  three  wives ;  and  other  vices,  such 
as  gambling,  &c.,  were  not  punishable.  The  party  became 
connected  in  some  way,  not  distinctly  understood,  with  the 
Methodists,  and  nearly  four  hundred  of  them  received  baptism 
(by  sprinkling)  from  the  Methodist  missionaries,  in  the  course 
of  two  or  three  days,  and  the  Prophet  was  licensed  to  preach. 
But  while  little,  if  any,  improvement  has  been  made  in  the 
morals  of  the  party,  excepting  in  the  respects  already  noticed, 
the  Prophet's  influence  has  made  them  more  industrious  than 
they  formerly  were.  They  are  now  improving  in  comfort,  and 
consequently  are  getting  into  circumstances  more  favourable  for 
receiving  religious  instructions. 

In  the  pamphlet  entitled  "  Remarks  on  Indian  Reform,'"' 
published  in  1827,  and  afterwards  reprinted,  it  was  proposed,  as 
an  improved  course,  that  instead  of  the  usual  mode  of  our  Gov 
ernment  taking  Indian  lands  and  allowing  them  annuities,  the 
value  of  which  was  trifling,  compared  with  the  worth  of  the 
lands,  and  which  annuities  often  proved  injurious  to  the  Indians, 
rather  than  beneficial,  the  lands  should  be  surveyed  and  sold  as 


INDIAN     MISSIONS.  459 

United  States'  lands  usually  are,  and,  after  defraying  all  the  cost 
of  survey  and  sale,  the  nett  proceeds  should  belong  to  the  In 
dians.  This,  it  would  seem-,  they  were  justly  entitled  to;  and 
if  they  had  not  received  ample  justice  upon  any  former  occa 
sion,  they  were  entitled  to  even  more  than  this.  This  rule  for 
paying  Indians  for  their  lands  would  secure  to  some  tribes  greater 
sums  than  they  could  usefully  apply  at  the  times  of  payment. 
It  was  proposed,  therefore,  that  a  moiely  above  their  Immediate 
wants  should  be  invested  in  productive  stock,  for  their  use. 

Similar  views  of  propriety,  in  cases  of  extinguishment  of  In 
dian  title  to  land,  were  not  manifested  by  the  Government  until 
March  1st,  1833,  at  which  time  a  treaty,  then  recently  made 
with  the  Chickasaws,  was  ratified  by  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States,  in  which  the  price  of  lands  ceded  by  the  Chickasaws 
was  to  be  paid  precisely  according  to  the  above  plan,  and  also 
investments  made.  By  this  mode  of  taking  pay,  the  Chicka 
saws  have  become  immensely  wealthy.  The  same  principles 
have  since  been  adopted  in  several  other  cases. 

On  reporting  to  the  three  Commissioners  on  Indian  Affairs, 
in  the  autumn  of  1832,  my  services  under  Government  termi 
nated.  In  respect  to  pecuniary  matters,  I  was  then  barely  even 
with  the  world.  I  was  constantly  employed  in  missionary  af 
fairs,  but  had  no  income  to  meet  the  expenses  of  my  family. 
During  eight  months  I  realized  not  a  little  anxiety;  I  durst  not 
indulge  a  thought  of  entering  upon  any  business  unconnected 
with  the  welfare  of  the  Indians,  and,  by  attention  to  them  with 
out  income,  a  debt  was  accumulating  upon  me  that  was  well 
calculated  to  occasion  uneasiness.  Having  applied  all  my  extra 
earnings  from  the  Government,  which  had  been  considerable,  to 
the  support  of  a  cause  ostensibly  under  the  patronage  of  the 
board  of  missions,  and  as  I  was  employing  all  my  time  in  sup 
port  of  the  same  cause  still,  I  might  have  preferred  a  just  claim 
upon  the  board  for  support;  but  this  I  declined.  My  necessi 
ties,  however,  became  so  great,  that  I  took  measures  to  remind 
them  of  our  wants,  and  I  did  it  in  the  hope  that  some  relief 
would  be  offered  to  us ;  but  the  result  was  not  what  we  had 
hoped  for.  Our  embarrassed  circumstances  occasioned  more 
toil  than  we  were  well  able  to  bear,  and  we  had  to  labour  some 
times  with  our  own  hands  harder  than  our  strength  justified.  It 
also  added  to  our  difficulties,  that,  within  the  period  of  anxiety 
of  which  1  write,  I  was  twice  confined  for  a  considerable  time 
to  my  bed  by  sickness. 

About  this  time  another  circumstance  occurred  which  was 
far  from  adding  to  my  happiness.  The  annual  report  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

Baptist  Board  of  Missions  for  April,  1833,  through  a  mistake, 
the  cause  of  which  I  did  not  understand,  stated  that  I  was  "  not 
in  the  service  of  the  board."  This  statement,  though  from  its 
connection  with  expressions  of  approbation  of  my  labours  was 
not  liable  to  be  imputed  to  unkind  feelings,  was  calculated  to  do 
me  substantial  injury.  Some  would  be  liable  to  suppose  that  I 
had  departed  from  the  work  of  a  missionary — a  thought  favour 
able  to  which  I  have  never  indulged  since  I  became  one ;  and 
in  the  Indian  country  it  was  probable  that  the  supposition  that  I 
was  unconnected  with-  any  society,  and  with  the  missionaries, 
would  abridge  my  opportunities  for  doing  good.  On  discover 
ing  the  report,  I  immediately  wrote  Dr.  Bolles,  the  correspond 
ing  secretary  of  the  board,  inquiring  when  my  services  had 
terminated,  and  on  what  account? — and  how  the  fact  happened 
to  be  published  to  the  world  before  any  intimation  of  it  had  been 
given  to  me  ?  The  acceptance  of  my  late  commission  from 
Government  could  not  have  affected  the  relation  between  us, 
because  they  had  directed  me  to  do  so,  believing  that  I  could 
work  more  efficiently  in  the  cause  of  missions  with  such  a  com 
mission,  than  without  it;  and,  moreover,  I  had  almost  constantly 
held  a  commission  of  some  kind  under  Government,  ever  since 
I  had  been  a  missionary,  to  the  advantages  of  which,  in  the  sup 
port  of  their  missions,  the  comfort  of  my  fellow  missionaries 
bore  ample  testimony.  Charity  required  me  to  attribute  the 
statement  to  an  oversight,  and,  if  1  was  correct,  I  desired  that 
the  mis-statement  should  be  corrected,  which  was  done  in  a  sub 
sequent  number  of  the  Baptist  Magazine,  the  print  in  which  it 
had  appeared. 

The  importance  which  I  attach  to  the  character  of  a  mission 
ary  has  induced  me  to  be  thus  particular  in  noticing  this  matter, 
lest  the  error  in  the  report  might  fall  into  the  hands  of  some 
who  might  not  notice  that  my  connection  with  the  board,  with 
the  missionaries,  and  with  the  entire  subject  of  missions,  has 
not  been  changed,  excepting  that  for  many  years  I  have  met 
the  expenses  of  support  for  myself  and  family,  still  adhering  to 
the  pledge  given  in  the  "  Mission  Family  Rules,"  in  the  appli 
cation  of  money  or  property  coming  into  my  hands.* 

On  the  retiring  of  Mr.  Lykins  and  myself  from  Michigan  to 
the  Indian  territory,  the  Catholics,  who  with  jealous  eye  had 
watched  every  step  we  had  taken,  with  a  view  to  embarrass  our 
labours,  introduced  a  priest  and  some  nuns  into  the  neighbour 
hood  of  our  late  establishment  at  Carey.  It  was  known  that 
our  desire  was,  that  those  Indians  should  remove,  as  soon  as 

*  See  page  170. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  461 

possible,  from  that  land  in  which  they  were  now  rapidly  perish 
ing,  to  what  we  hoped  would  prove  a  permanent  and  prosperous 
home.  The  Catholics  desired  them  to  remain  where  they  were, 
on  some  small  tracts  of  land  which  they  had  not  yet  sold  to  the 
United  States.  After  the  exploration  of  the  delegations  of  Pu- 
tawatomies  and  Ottawas,  in  1828,  many  of  those  tribes  desired 
to  emigrate,  provided  we  should  establish  ourselves  in  the  Indian 
territory.  In  order,  therefore,  to  promote  an  unwillingness 
among  the  Indians  to  follow  us,  calumny  was  resorted  to.  A 
worthless  fellow,  not  a  Catholic,  whose  tongue,  as  far  as  he  was 
personally  known,  could  not  injure  any  body,  was  prompted  to 
publish  a  pamphlet,  complaining  of  mismanagement  of  affairs 
at  Carey  during  its  existence.  This  poor  creature  had,  no 
doubt,  been  encouraged  to  hope  that  he  could  sell  his  pamph 
lets,  so  as  to  realize  some  moneyed  "  reward  of  iniquity,"  in 
which  he  doubtless  was  disappointed.  The  style  of  the  book 
was  wretchedly  bad,  and  the  story  contained  its  own  refutation ; 
and  we  could  not,  therefore,  notice  it  by  a  reply.  About  the 
same  time,  a  scurrilous  piece  appeared  in  "  The  Catholic  Tele 
graph,"  published  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  embracing  a  communi 
cation  from  the  author  of  the  pamphlet.  The  source  whence 
this  emanated  was  such  as  admitted  of  notice,  but  the  malignity 
of  the  writers  had  evidently  got  the  ascendancy  of  their  discre 
tion,  and  led  them  to  do  themselves  an  injury  by  an  effort  to 
cast  blarne  upon  others  where  no  ground  of  blame  existed.  It 
was  not  deemed  expedient  for  either  Mr.  Lykins  or  myself  to 
enter  upon  a  newspaper  controversy,  merely  for  the  sake  of  ex 
posing  the  spirit  which  had  induced  a  publication  that  could 
do  us  no  harm.  Mr.  French,  however,  who  had  lived  long  at 
Carey  before  he  became  a  missionary,  and  whose  opportunities 
had  furnished  him  with  an  extensive  knowledge  of  its  manage 
ment,  forwarded  a  communication  for  the  public,  in  reference  to 
the  calumny,  to  be  published  in  the  Baptist  Journal  of  Cincin 
nati  ;  but  some  friends  of  missions  in  that  place,  upon  consulta 
tion,  deeming  the  Catholic  piece  unworthy  of  notice  by  any  one, 
advised  that  Mr.  French's  reply  should  not  be  published. 

Mr.  Evans,  who,  with  his  family,  arrived  at  the  Shawanoe 
mission  house  about  a  year  before  the  time  of  which  we  speak, 
took  the  thought  into  his  head  that  he  could  be  more  useful 
among  the  Choctaws  than  among  the  Shawanoes.  The  board 
referred  the  matter  pretty  much  to  the  opinion  of  his  fellow 
missionaries.  The  latter  perceived  no  good  reason  for  his 
changing  places,  but  many  strong  reasons  for  his  remaining 
where  he  was.  He,  however,  adhered  to  his  own  plans,  and 


462 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


upon  his  own  responsibility  left  the  Shawanoe  station,  with  his 
family,  on  the  18th  of  June,  1833.  He  barely  entered  the 
Choctaw  country,  when  he  became  discouraged,  and  turned  off 
into  the  white  settlements  of  Arkansas,  from  which  place  he 
wrote  Mr.  Lykins,  expressing  a  wish  to  return,  and  desiring  to 
know  whether  he  coulo1  be  cordially  received  by  the  mission 
aries.  While  the  latter  pitied  the  weakness  which  had  prompted 
the  late  injudicious  movement,  they  felt  much  sympathy  for  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Evans,  and  instantly  wrote  him  a  letter  congenial  to 
his  wishes.  He,  however,  anticipated  the  communication,  and 
reached  the  Shawanoe  station  a  few  days  after  his  own  letter. 
The  board  also  kindly  yielded  to  the  entreaties  of  the  mission 
aries  that  Mr.  Evans  might  be  reinstated. 

There  was  a  Choctaw  educated  in  Kentucky,  who  was  there 
baptized,  and  by  a  Baptist  church  ordained  to  the  work  of  the 
Gospel  ministry,  who  opened  a  correspondence  with  me  in  the 
spring  of  1833,  and  whom  we  encouraged  to  return  to  his  people 
within  the  Indian  territory,  and  preach  to  them  the  Gospel  of 
God.  On  the  8th  of  July,  1833,  he  arrived  at  our  house,  on 
his  way  to  the  Choctaw  nation  on  the  Arkansas  and  Red  rivers. 
I  advanced  him  funds  to  enable  him  to  prosecute  his  designs  as 
a  missionary.  He  remained  about  two  months  with  us,  and 
then  proceeded  to  the  field  of  labour  pointed  out  to  him.  In 
the  mean  time  the  board  was  written  to  in  his  behalf,  and  its 
patronage  obtained. 

The  board  had  appointed  the  Rev.  Moses  Merrill  and  Mrs. 
Merrill  missionaries  to  the  Chippewas  of  Lake  Superior,  in 

1832.  In  August  of  that  year,  they  left  the  State  of  Maine, 
and,  accompanied  by  Miss  Brown,  who  had  also  been  appointed 
a  missionary  by  the  board,  arrived  at  Sault  de  St.  Marie  the 
October  following,  in  which  place  they  designed  to  spend  the 
winter  in  labouring  with  Messrs.  Bingham  and  Meeker,  and,  on 
the  following  summer,  to  ascend  the  lakes  further,  and  establish 
a  station  near  the  northwestern  extremity  of  Lake  Superior. 
With  similar  designs,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meeker,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  reached  Sault  de  St.  Marie  at  the  same  time.     Early  in 
the  spring  of  1833,  the  board  justly  conceived  that  it  would  be 
better  to  extend  its  operations  in  the  Indian  territory,  than  to  be 
wasting  life,  labour,  and  money,  on  Indians  unsettled,  and  in 
structed  Mr.  Merrill  and  Mr.  Meeker  to  abandon  the  mission  to 
Lake  Superior,  and  to  proceed  immediately  to  the  Indian  ter 
ritory.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merrill  left  Sault  de  St.  Marie  in  May, 

1833,  and  arrived  at  the  Shawanoe  mission  house  on  the  13th 
of  the  following  July. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


463 


On  the  16th  of  July,  I  received  orders  from  Government  to 
make  some  further  surveys  for  Indian  tribes  within  the  territory. 
I  employed  an  assistant,  and  was  glad  to  have  an  opportunity 
to  earn  something  to  enable  me  to  pay  debts  which  1  had  been 
obliged  to  contract  for  the  support  of  my  family,  and  something 
towards  future  support.  Left  as  we  had  been  to  provide  for 
our  own  support,  and  in  the  midst  of  great  necessity,  He  who 
feeds  the  sparrows  responded  to  his  own  gracious  inquiry — 
"Children,  have  you  any  food?"  and  relieved  us  for  the  pre 
sent  from  painful  anxieties,  which  had  brooded  over  us  eight 
months. 

Between  the  28th  of  July  and  the  17th  of  August  I  was  on 
a  tour  in  the  wilderness.  Nevertheless,  1  sometimes  employed 
my  pen  at  camp  in  promotion  of  missionary  matters  elsewhere. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Baptisms.  Tour  in  the  wilderness.  Arrival  of  missionaries. 
Mission  established  among  the  Otoes.  Arrival  of  other 
missionaries.  Journey  to  Arkansas.  A  missionary  retires 
from  labour.  Baptisms.  Tour  in  the  wilderness.  Jour 
ney  to  Washington.  Enlistment  of  missionaries.  Printing 
press.  New  system  of  writing.  Baptism.  Tour  in  the 
wilderness.  Resignation  of  a  missionary.  Publication  of 
the  Annual  Register.  Death.  Apostacy  of  a  missionary. 
Arrival  of  missionaries  at  the  Creek  station.  Death  of 
two  missionaries.  Arrival  of  missionaries  among  the  Choc- 
taws.  Newspaper  in  Shawanoe.  Books  in  Creek  and 
Choctaw.  Baptism  and  missionary  appointment. 

On  the  llth  of  August,  1833,  two  Delawares  were  baptized, 
and  on  the  24th  another;  all  of  whom  gave  satisfactory  evidence 
of  genuine  piety.  Our  scattered  church,  which  once  met  at 
Carey,  was  now  able  to  assemble  fifteen  members  at  the  Shaw 
anoe  mission  house,  and  the  sixteenth  was  added  by  the  baptism 
of  a  Delaware  female  on  the  25th  of  August.  The  missionaries 
held  regular  meetings  for  religious  worship  among  the  Dela 
wares,  and  at  the  Shawanoe  mission  house.  Besides  which, 
preaching  was  frequent  at  different  houses  among  the  Shawa- 
noes,  religious  visits  were  extended  to  the  Indians,  and  a  small 
school  kept  at  the  mission  house,  the  pupils  of  which  were  almost 
entirely  supported  by  the  mission.  About  this  time  we  enjoyed 


464 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


some  very  comfortable  religious  meetings,  \vliich  seemed  the 
more  gratifying  because  they  followed  the  desolations  which  un 
avoidably  attended  emigration  from  Michigan. 

From  the  13th  of  September  to  the  17th  of  October,  I  was 
on  another  surveying  tour  Jn  the  wilderness.  Among  other 
privations  attending  these  wilderness  excursions,  was  the  loss  of 
Christian  society.  We  rested  and  had  some  religious  exercises 
on  the  Sabbath  in  our  camp.  Nevertheless,  those  days  seemed 
long  and  lonesome.  Our  tour  extended  so  far  west  that,  to  pre 
vent  injury  from  marauding  bands  of  hostile  Indians,  we  were 
all  well  armed.*  This  was  our  invariable  practice  when  our 
business  led  us  far  into  the  wilderness,  and  in  proportion  to  our 
supposed  danger  was  our  vigilance  in  posting  out  sentinels  at 
night,  and  in  sleeping  with  our  clothes  on,  and  our  guns,  &c.,  at 
our  sides.  Resting  on  the  6th  of  October,  which  was  Sunday, 
occasioned  us  to  occupy  the  same  encampment  two  nights  in  suc 
cession,  and  this  delay  afforded  an  opportunity  for  an  increasing 
number  of  neighbouring  wolves  to  become  acquainted  with  our 
sleeping  place.  On  the  second  night  they  approached  quite  to 
our  tent.  A  young  man,  on  awaking,  noticed  one  standing  near 
us,  and  shot  him,  so  that  he  fell  dead  within  fifteen  feet  of  our  fire. 
In  the  morning  we  discovered  that  they  had  had  possession  of  one 
of  the  men's  hats;  and,  whether  for  food  or  from  fancy  we  could 
not  ascertain,  they  had  made  some  important  alterations  in  its 
fashion,  which  the  owner  was  unwilling  to  admit  were  improve 
ments.  Some  unwelcome  depredations  had  also  been  commit 
ted  upon  ropes  and  other  materials  used  in  tying  meat  and  other 
articles  on  the  pack  horses,  and  which  had  thereby  become 
oiled.  j 

In  my  absence,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meeker,  and  Hiss  C.  Brown, 
arrived.  Mr.  Meeker,  on  leaving  Sault  de  St.  Marie  for  the 
Indian  territory,  passed  Cleveland,  in  Ohio;  at  which  place 
Mrs.  Meeker  remained,  while  her  husband  proceeded  to  Bos 
ton,  to  confer  with  the  board  of  missions.  Before  they  finally 
left  Cleveland,  they  buried  at  that  place  an  infant  daughter. 
It  was  now  resolved  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merrill  should  locate 
among  the  Otoes,  on  the  Great  Platte  River,  and  commence  a 
mission,  the  preliminaries  of  which  we  had  entered  upon  three 
years  before,  for  the  benefit  of  Otoes,  Pawnees,  and  Omahas. 
We  afterwards  made  application  to  the  Government,  and  obtain- 

*  Marauding  war  parties  on  those  prairies  seldom  attack  a  company  of 
white  men  who  they  discover  are  prepared  for  defence,  but  commonly  ap 
proach  them  peaceably.  Therefore,  to  appear  in  their  country  unarmed 
would  be  inviting  them  to  murder  us. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


465 


ed  for  Mr.  Merrill  the  appointment  of  school  teacher,  according 
to  a  provision  of  a  treaty.  In  consequence  of  this  commission, 
Mr.  Merrill  received  from  Government  a  salary  of  nearly  five 
hundred  dollars  per  annum,  which  enabled  him  to  support  him 
self  without  further  cost  to  the  board.  Miss  Brown  accompa 
nied  them,  and  they  left  the  Shawanoe  station  on  the  25th  of 
October,  1833.  The  distance  to  their  station  was  about  two 
hundred  miles,  and  the  journey  was  performed  in  twenty-four 
days.  The  nights  were,  of  course,  spent  in  the  open  air,  with 
out  the  roof  of  a  house,  and  the  journey  was  attended  with  the 
usual  hardships  and  privations  of  such  tours  in  the  wilderness. 

The  missionaries  found  buildings  for  their  accommodation  at 
a  place  which  had  previously  been  occupied  as-a  trading  post, 
where  they  remained  about  a  year  and  a  half.  At  this  place 
resided  a  few  Frenchmen  with  Indian  families,  and  one  family 
not  related  to  the  Indians.  From  these  families  the  missiona 
ries  collected  a  small  school.  They  had  also  a  Sabbath  school 
and  a  Bible  class,  and  at  the  same  time  public  religious  exer 
cises  were  duly  attended  to.  Early  in  1834,  favourable  religious 
impressions  were  manifestly  made  on  the  minds  of  some  of  the 
pupils,  and  in  April  of  that  year  Mr.  Merrill  baptized  one  of 
the  white  children,  about  twelve  years  of  age. 

The  village  of  the  Otoes  was,  at  that  time,  about  thirty  miles 
from  the  station,  but  a  smithery,  for  their  benefit,  having  been 
established  at  the  latter,  many  were  attracted  thither ;  so  that 
the  missionaries  were  favoured  with  opportunities  of  imparting 
religious  instruction.  They  very  properly  directed  their  atten 
tion,  as  far  as  practicable,  to  the  acquisition  of  the  Otoe  lan 
guage,  and  having  prepared  some  Scripture  lessons,  by  the  help 
of  an  interpreter,  Mr.  Merrill,  in  May,  1834,  visited  their  vil 
lage,  and  read  to  them  at  suitable  opportunities.  In  speaking 
of  this  visit,  Mr.  Merrill  says,  "  On  my  arrival  at  the  village,  I 
was  directed  to  the  lodge  oif  the  first  chief,  where  his  wives,  of 
whom  he  had  five,  immediately  took  care  of  ray  horse  and  bag 
gage.  After  the  salutation  of  shaking  hands,  I  was  seated  on 
the  ground  by  the  side  of  the  chief.  It  was  not  long  before  a 
wooden  bowl,  containing  a  kind  of  bread  of  pounded  maize  and 
beans,  was  placed  before  me,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  I  was 
invited  to  a  meal  of  buffalo  meat,  at  the  lodge  of  the  second 
chief." 

This  village  consisted  of  about  fifty  houses,  of  earth,  which 
were  circular,  and  from  twenty-five  to  forty  feet  in  diameter. 
The  wall  narrows  to  a  point  at  the  top,  and  presents  the  form 
of  a  cone,  and  is  sustained  by  wooden  posts  and  poles  within. 

59 


466  HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 

The  smoke  escapes  through  an  aperture  in  the  top,  w^ich 
answers  the  double  purpose  of  window  and  chimney.  Within 
them  is  neither  chair,  table,  nor  bedstead. 

In  the  summer  of  1835,  the  mission  was  removed  a  few  miles 
to  a  more  eligible  site,  and  buildings  were  there  erected  by  the 
board  for  a  permanent  station,  near  to  which  the  Otoes  located 
in  the  following  year.  At  their  new  residence  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Merrill  collected  a  school  of  Otoe  youths,  most  of  whom  had 
reached  maturity,  and  taught  them  in  their  own  language,  upon 
the  new  system.  They  had  thirty-six  in  attendance,  though 
not  regularly;  first  in  their  village,  and  afterwards  at  the  mission 
house.  These  people  were  not  prepared  to  appreciate  the  ad 
vantages  of  education,  and  supposed  that  a  favour  was  conferred 
on  the  missionaries  by  their  attendance  to  receive  instruction. 
For  their  encouragement,  the  missionaries  gave  them  a  dinner 
once  a  week,  of  which  the  chiefs  were  also  invited  to  partake. 
These  people  were  about  half  the  year  absent  on  their  buffalo 
hunts,  which  was  greatly  to  their  disadvantage  in  reference  to 
the  labours  of  the  missionaries.  Notwithstanding  the  many  ob 
stacles  to  their  improvement,  those  who  could  be  prevailed  upon 
to  feel  somewhat  interested  in  learning,  have  read  all  the  prints 
that  have  yet  been  made  in  the  Otoe  language.  These  con 
sist  of  two  small  school  books,  some  hymns,  and  a  part  of  the 
New  Testament,  equal  to  about  one-half  of  the  gospel  by  John. 
These  have  been  prepared  by  Mr.  Merrill,  and  printed  at  the 
Shawanoe  mission. 

In  February,  1839,  the  missionaries  collected  at  their  house 
a  school  of  Otoe  children,  whom  they  instructed  in  English,  and 
both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merrill  being  in  poor  health,  and  compelled 
to  attend  too  much  to  labours  necessary  for  their  personal  com 
fort,  on  account  of  the  inconvenience  of  hiring  help  at  their 
remote  place,  they  could  not,  as  previously,  attend  to  teaching 
native  adults  in  their  own  language.  They  made  a  school  of 
fifteen  Otoe  children,  from  eight  to  twelve  years  of  age,  who 
belonged  to  the  families  of  chiefs  and  other  principal  men.  These 
children  were  furnished  at  the  mission  house  with  one  meal  a 
day,  and  their  improvement  would  have  been  further  promoted 
by  supporting  them  at  the  station,  had  the  missionaries  possessed 
the  means  of  doing  so. 

At  first,  religious  instruction  was  imparted  by  reading  portions 
of  Scripture  in  the  Otoe  language,  written,  as  before  stated, 
upon  the  new  system,  and  sometimes  through  the  medium  of 
an  interpreter.  In  1838,  Mr.  Merrill  commenced  preaching  to 
his  people  in  their  own  language,  without  the  help  of  an  inter- 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


467 


preter.     In  1839,  he  baptized  a  black  woman,  who  resided  in 
his  family. 

The  board  had  directed  Mr.  Lykins  to  exercise  a  kind  of 
general  superintendence  over  missionary  matters  in  the  Indian 
territory,  and,  as  a  measure  that  would  facilitate  his  usefulness, 
the  following  was  obtained  for  him  from  the  Secretary  of  War: 

"Permission  is  hereby  granted  to  Mr.  Johnston  Lykins  to 
visit  the  Indian  country  west  of  the  Mississippi,  under  the  au 
thority  of  the  Baptist  Board  of  Missions,  with  a  view  to  collect 
and  report  information  interesting  to  that  board  in  carrying  into 
effect  their  views  in  the  selection  of  sites  for  missionary  estab 
lishments  and  schools  in  that  region.  He  is  recommended  to 
the  attention  of  all  officers  of  the  Government,  and  they  are  de 
sired  to  communicate  to  him  such  information  as  may  be  useful 
in  the  discharge  of  his  trust. 

"  Given  under  my  hand  and  the  seal  of  the  War  Department, 
at  Washington,  this  tenth  day  of  September,  A.  D.  1833. 

"  LEWIS  CASS." 

About  this  time,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  one  of  the  Commissioners  on 
Indian  affairs,  held  important  treaties  with  the  Pawnees,  Otoes, 
and  Omahas,  in  which  provisions  favourable  for  education  were 
made.  Upon  these  subjects  Mr.  Lykins  enjoyed  the  privilege 
of  bestowing  some  attention,  which  we  had  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  was  successful. 

November  13th,  1833,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sirnerwell  arrived. 
After  leaving  Michigan,  they  had  sickened  on  the  road,  and  had 
been  compelled  to  lie  by  several  weeks.  Their  sufferings  on 
the  way  had  been  considerable,  and  we  all  felt  grateful  to  Him 
who  had  accompanied  them  with  his  gracious  care. 

Mr.  Wilson,  on  going  to  Arkansas,  entered  a  field  of  labour, 
among  the  Choctaws,  which  we  deemed  uncommonly  promis 
ing.  But  he  was  alone,  and  on  some  account,  not  well  under 
stood,  his  spirits  and  courage  failed.  He  was  a  worthy  young 
man,  of  respectable  talents;  but  he  seemed  to  lose  confidence  in 
himself,  and  to  be  unable  to  hope  for  success.  We  wrote  him., 
for  his  encouragement,  but  without  success. 

In  December,  1833,  a  letter  reached  us  from  Mr.  Lewis, 
among  the  Creeks.  He  also  had  become  discouraged,  and 
desired  to  leave  the  country.  He  and  his  family,  at  the  time, 
were  suffering  much  by  sickness.  He  had  been  exceedingly 
imprudent  in  his  secular  affairs,  and  had  gone  in  debt  beyond 
his  means  of  paying.  He  had  spent  money  unnecessarily,  and 
drawn  on  the  board  for  funds  without  authority,  to  pay  debts 


468 


H1STOIIY  OF  BAPTIST 


foolishly  created.  Finding  that  he  had  been  some  time  running 
into  these  evils,  I  had  urged  him,  by  the  most  pressing  entrea 
ties,  to  a  different  course.  He  now  desired  me  to  lay  his  case 
before  the  board,  and  ask  them  for  money  to  pay  his  debts,  and 
to  enable  him  to  leave  the  country. 

These  and  other  matters,  affecting  the  interests  of  our  mis 
sions,  induced  Mr.  Lykins  to  set  off,  on  the  25th  of  December, 
1833,  on  a  tour  to  Arkansas,  and  it  being  inconvenient  for  one 
man  to  pass  through  the  wilderness  alone,  Mr.  French  accom 
panied  him.  Mrs.  Lewis  was  at  this  time  exceedingly  sick,  and 
died  while  he  was  in  that  country.  Mr.*  Lewis  and  his  son 
were  not  yet  in  good  health.  Notwithstanding  the  difficulties 
which  surrounded  the  station,  it  appeared  that  the  opportunities 
for  doing  good  among  the  Creeks  were  altogether  favourable. 
Mr.  Davis  was  a  substantial  man,  who  was  doing  well.  Mr. 
Lykins  advised  him  to  locate  on  the  Canadian  River,  which  he 
did  some  time  afterwards.  Notwithstanding  the  indiscretion  of 
Mr.  Lewis,  it  was  hoped  that  he  would  be  useful.  At  Mr. 
Lykins's  request,  I  united  with  him  in  desiring  the  board  to  con 
tinue  him  in  their  employ,  to  which  he  had  consented,  and  in 
expressing  the  opinion  that,  notwithstanding  his  bad  manage 
ment  would  make  him  an  expensive  missionary,  yet  he  had 
better  be  continued,  in  the  hope  that  he  would  do  good.  The 
board  generously  extended  to  him  its  indulgence. 

Mr.  Lykins  found  Mr.  Wilson  labouring  under  great  discour 
agement,  when  the  prospects  of  usefulness  around  him  were  well 
calculated  to  animate  the  missionary;  but  he  left  the  country 
soon  afterwards,  and  retired  from  missionary  labours.  Mr.  Ly 
kins  also  visited  Mr.  O'Bryant's  station,  among  the  Cherokees, 
and  had  the  satisfaction  of  contributing  not  a  little  to  the  promo 
tion  of  his  operations. 

While  clouds  hung  around  our  affairs,  occasionally  beams  of 
light  gladdened  onr  hearts.  On  the  8th  of  December,  an  Osage 
woman,  married  to  a  Delaware,  was  baptized,  and  on  the  15th  of 
the  same  month  another  Delaware  female  was  baptized.  Public 
religious  meetings  were  at  this  time  held  regularly  in  two  places 
among  the  Delawares* 

From  the  18th  of  December,  1833,  to  the  9th  of  January, 
I  was,  most  of  the  time,  on  a  surveying  expedition  in  the  wil 
derness.  We  usually  avoided,  as  much  as  possible,  long  ex 
cursions  in  the  wilderness  in  winter,  on  account  of  the  cold. 
Necessity  required  us  to  encounter  no  little  inconvenience  of 
this  character  on  this  occasion.  Our  business  lay  along  the 
Missouri  river-.  In  orcter  to  subsist  our  horses,  we  sought 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


469 


for  bottom  lands  of  rushes,  which,  remaining  green  all  winter, 
afforded  a  nutritious,  though  sometimes  an  unhealthy  food. 
When  rushes  could  not  be  found,  we  sometimes  cut  down  the 
cotton  wood,  upon  the  bark  of  which  horses  would  feed,  and 
which  was  moderately  nutritious. 

The  1st  of  January,  1834,  was  a  dismal  day.  It  snowed  on 
us  incessantly,  with  a  pretty  high  wind.  The  trail  of  the  sur 
veyors  could  not  be  followed  by  the  pack-horses  which  I  was  in 
charge  of,  and  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  proceeding  in 
the  snow  in  the  bottom  lands,  and  being  separated  from  the 
surveyors,  there  appeared,  for  some  time,  reason  to  fear  that 
some  of  one  or  of  both  parties  would  perish  with  cold.  We 
had  the  good  fortune,  however,  to  get  all  together  by  dark,  and 
to  reach  a  place  where  we  could  make  a  large  fire  of  logs. 
One  of  the  men  was  somewhat  frostbitten.  On  account  of  the 
severity  of  the  weather,  we  remained  in  our  camp  two .  days, 
and  then,  in  a  pretty  deep  snow,  set  off  for  home.  On  the  fol 
lowing  morning,  January  5th,  the  mercury  sunk  twenty-five 
degrees  below  zero.  I  submitted  it  to  the  choice  of  the  com 
pany,  either  to  remain  in  camp,  or  to  travel.  They  had  be 
come  so  weary  of  the  uncomfortableness  of  a  camp  in  such 
severe  weather  that  they  chose  to  risk  the  frost  in  travelling. 
Two  men  were  sent  about  half  a  mile  to  bring  in  some  horses. 
Before  they  returned  we  became  much  alarmed  lest  they  had 
become  lost  and  would  perish.  One  of  them  was  somewhat 
frostbitten. 

I  shall  never  forget  that  on  that  dreadful  day  we  met  a  Puta- 
watomie  Indian  and  his  wife,  each  on  horseback,  passing  on 
through  a  pathless  wilderness,  to  a  place  at  which  they  hoped  to 
catch  some  game,  and  obtain  food,  both  of  whom  appeared  to 
be  cheerful,  and  under  no  apprehensions  of  perishing.  Those 
nights  were  so  severe,  that  upon  the  frozen  earth,  with  our  means, 
the  most  hardy  of  our  company  were  exposed  to  much  suffer 
ing.  My  constitution  was  naturally  slender,  and  had  become 
much  impaired  by  various  means,  and  I  suffered  most.  A  per 
son  who  has  never  realized  a  lodging  under  such  circumstances 
cannot  easily  conceive  the  difficulty  of  effectually  fencing 
against  a  cold  wind.  On  this  occasion  I  could  not  keep  myself 
sufficiently  warm  to  allow  of  sleep,  but  by  wrapping  myself  in 
my  blankets,  and  then  having  them  secured  in  that  position  by 
tying  all  up  with  a  cord. 

On  the  9th  of  January,  1834,  I  received  the  following  from 
the  board : 


470 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


"  Boston,  December  5,  1833. 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  At  the  suggestion  of  our  mutual  friend,  the  Rev. 
S.  H.  Cone,  the  board,  at  its  late  meeting,  took  into  considera 
tion  the  expediency  of  your  spending  some  time  this  winter  at 
Washington,  and  resolved  to  request  you  to  do  so.  They  sup 
pose  that  the  interests  of  the  Indians,  and  views  of  the  board  as 
to  their  civilization,  may  be  promoted  by  your  counsels  and  ex 
ertions.  Knowing  so  well  as  you  do  the  best  time  to  be  at  the 
seat  of  Government,  we  shall  leave  it  to  your  discretion.  The 
necessary  expenses  of  the  journey  we  shall  expect  to  meet. 
Please  to  advise  us  as  to  the  time  you  will  be  at  Washington. 
"  Most  affectionately,  yours, 

"  L.  BOLLES. 
"  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy." 

I  left  home,  for  Washington,  on  the  llth  of  February,  1834. 
I  was  one  month  in  making  the  journey.  Exposure  had  im 
paired  my  health,  and  for  some  time  after  my  arrival  in  Wash 
ington  I  could  scarcely  stir  abroad. 

The  three  commissioners  on  Indian  affairs  who  had  been  ap 
pointed  in  1832,  held  their  offices  two  years.  It  was  expected 
that  a  lengthy  report,  respecting  measures  in  future,  would  be 
made  by  them  to  the  present  session  of  Congress.  In  making 
my  report  to  them  in  1832,  I  had  been  full  in  recommending 
future  measures,  together  with  the  reasons  why  I  conceived 
them  proper,  &ic.  Anxious  that  these  statements  should  be 
known,  in  the  hope  of  their  exerting  some  influence,  whether 
the  commissioners  should  report  in  accordance  with  them  or  not, 
I  had  forwarded  a  copy  of  the  report  unofficially  to  the  Secre 
tary  of  War.  Up  to  the  middle  of  March,  the  commissioners 
had  not  reported.  But  a  judicious  plan  relative  to  the  organi 
zation  of  the  Indian  territory  had  been  submitted  to  the  con 
sideration  of  Congress  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  Mr,  Cass. 
His  annual  report  had  also  highly  recommended  the  organization 
of  the  territory,  as  the  only  feasible  plan  of  saving  the  Indian 
race  from  extinction.  The  favour  which  the  design  received 
from  the  Secretary  of  War  was  the  more  gratifying,  because 
the  time  bad  been  when  even  his  pen  had  been  employed,  not 
in  blaming  the  kindness  which  prompted  the  experiment,  but 
in  exposing  and  urging  its  supposed  impracticability.  He  had 
been  heard  to  say  that  "  the  tribes  never  would  be  colonized. 
The  nature  of  their  relation  to  our  Government  was  such  that 
the  Government  could  not  be  induced  to  adopt  and  carry  out 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


471 


such  a  measure.     It  was  a  scheme  of  Mr. ,  which  could 

not  be  accomplished,"  &tc.  These  things  are  not  mentioned  to 
the  discredit  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  but  as  a  specimen  of 
sentiments  which  prevailed  extensively  among  the  wisest  and 
best  men  of  the  nation.  No  man  had  so  much  influence  on 
the  subject  of  Indian  affairs  as  the  then  Secretary  of  War. 
Hence,  any  thing  from  him,  which  appeared  to  favour  measures 
to  which  we  attached  infinite  importance,  was  as  gratifying  as 
the  reverse  was  alarming. 

About  the  20th  of  March,  I  set  off  on  a  hasty  visit  to  New- 
York,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  personal  interview  with 
our  substantial  friend,  the  Rev.  S.  H.  Cone,  in  relation  to  our 
operations.  In  conference  with  the  excellent  Mr.  Dagg,  of 
Philadelphia,  he  spoke  of  some  in  his  city,  who,  he  thought, 
might  be  enlisted  as  missionaries.  We  were  particularly  anxious 
to  find  one  to  fill  the  place  of  Mr.  Wilson,  among  the  Choc- 
taws,  and  we  also  needed  others  to  fill  at  least  four  other  favour 
able  openings  for  missionary  labours  which  presented  themselves 
within  that  interesting  tribe  of  Indians.  Mr.  Dagg  and  I  visited 
two  persons,  one  of  whom  I  felt  inclined  to  advise  not  to  em 
bark  in  missionary  labours ;  but  the  other,  who  was  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Smedley,  with  Mrs.  Smedley,  we  encouraged  to  enlist. 

Some  Presbyterian  missionaries,  under  the  patronage  of  the 
Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  had  found  some  difficulty 
in  the  establishment  of  a  mission  among  the  lowas.  Through 
Mr.  Lykins  their  wishes  were  communicated  to  me.  On  the 
1st  of  April  I  obtained  from  the  agent  for  that  tribe,  who  was 
then  in  Washington,  the  requisite  recommendation  in  favour  of 
forming  the  establishment,  after  which  I  obtained  the  authority 
to  do  so  from  Mr.  Herring,  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs. 
This  mission  is  now  in  successful  operation. 

I  returned  to  my  family  on  the  10th  of  May.  Mr.  Meeker 
had  brought  with  him,  to  the  Indian  territory,  a  printing  press 
and  types,  according  to  the  directions  of  the  board,  which  were 
put  into  operation  among  the  Shawanoes  instead  of  the  Chero- 
kees,  as  had  been  originally  designed.  By  the  10th  of  May, 
a  small  book  in  Shawanoe,  and  another  in  Delaware,  had  been 
printed,  according  to  the  new  system  of  writing  and  reading ; 
and  instruction  upon  this  plan  had  been  introduced  with  a  pros 
pect  of  success.  Several  adults  as  well  as  youths  had  become 
capable  of  reading  in  their  own  language  a  few  weeks  after  they 
had  been  furnished  with  books,  and  with  little  attention  from 
instructors. 

This  system  deserves  greater  attention  than  it  has  yet  re- 


472 


HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 


ceived.  One  learns  to  read  his  own  language  with  so  much 
ease  upon  this  plan,  that  it  ought  to  be  introduced  among  all 
nations  destitute  of  a  written  language.  The  simplicity  of  this 
method  of  writing  and  reading,  or,  in  other  words,  the  facility 
with  which  the  learner  acquires  a  knowledge  of  these,  has  been 
the  principal  reason  why  it  has  not  attracted  greater  notice. 
We  are  slaves  to  habit.  We  have  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the 
art  of  printing  our  thoughts  on  paper,  so  that  they  could  be 
understood  by  others,  by  the  tedious  process  of  spelling,  and 
hence  we  are  ready  to  ridicule  the  idea  of  a  system  which 
wholly  excludes  spelling,  and  which  enables  the  learner  to  paint 
his  thoughts  on  paper,  with  precision,  as  soon  as  he  acquires  a 
knowledge  of  a  number  of  characters  about  equal  to  the  Eng 
lish  alphabet. 

"  To  each  Indian  language,  and  to  each  dialect  of  language,  be 
long  peculiar  sounds,  which  cannot  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  the 
English  alphabet.  To  designate  syllables  which  could  not  be 
spelt,  or  sounds  which  could  not  be  obtained  by  the  ordinary 
use  of  letters,  writers  who  would  write  intelligibly  have  been 
compelled  to  introduce  arbitrary  characters,  £ach  according  to 
his  fancy.  It  can  easily  be  conceived  that  serious  inconvenience 
attended  this  course  of  things. 

"  Mr.  Guess,  a  Cherokee,  had  discovered  that  the  language  of 
his  tribe  could  be  written  with  about  eighty  syllabic  characters. 
Guess's  plan  was  tried  in  relation  to  some  other  languages,  and 
found  to  be  inapplicable,  because  characters  would  be  multiplied 
beyond  the  bounds  of  convenience. 

"  To  remedy  the  evils  which  attended  the  ordinary  methods 
of  writing  Indian,  and  the  complexity  which  would  attend  the 
universal  application  of  Guess's  system,  the  idea  suggested  itself 
to  Mr.  Meeker,  then  at  Sault  de  St.  Marie,  of  using  characters 
not  to  designate  syllables,  but  certain  positions  of  the  organs  of 
speech.  His  first  writing  was  rather  a  combination  of  this  new 
principle  with  the  syllabic  system  and  the  system  of  spelling." 

When  the  press  was  put  into  operation  at  the  Shawanoe  mis 
sion  house,  the  missionaries  among  the  Shawanoes  and  Dela- 
wares  took  up  the  new  principle  of  Mr.  Meeker,  and  reduced 
it  to  a  system,  excluding  entirely  the  syllabic  or  hieroglyphic 
system,  and  also  that  of  spelling. 

By  spelling,  we  mean  that  process  by  which  the  learner  is 
required  to  familiarize  the  memory  with  certain  names  of  cha 
racters,  [letters]  and  then,  after  combining  these  in  a  certain 
order,  a  sound  [syllable]  must  be  uttered — not  one  produced  by 
the  combination,  but  altogether  arbitrary.  This  sound,  unmean- 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


473 


ing  in  itself,  must  be  borne  in  mind  until,  by  a  similar  process, 
a  second,  third,  or  fourth,  be  obtained;  and,  lastly,  these  sounds 
must  be  combined,  in  order  to  form  a  word. 

Upon  the  new  system,  every  uncom pounded  sound  which  can 
be  distinguished  by  the  ear  is  indicated  by  a  character.  These 
sounds,  in  Indian  languages,  usually  amount  to  about  eight  or 
ten,  the  greater  part  of  which,  but  not  all,  are  what  in  the  sys 
tem  of  spelling  would  be  denominated  vowel  sounds ;  other 
sounds  are  such,  for  instance,  as  the  hissing  sound  of  the  letter  s, 
in  which  consists  its  real  value,  the  sound  obtained  by  cht  as  in 
church,  &c.  The  other  characters,  usually  in  number  about 
twelve  or  fourteen,  merely  indicate  the  positions  of  the  organs 
of  speech  preceding  or  following  the  sounds,  by  which  the  be 
ginning  or  ending  of  sounds  is  modified  ;  thus,  this  character,  py 
would  require  the  lips  to  be  pressed  together  with  a  slight  pres 
sure  within;  this,  o,  would  indicate  a  sound  which  could  be  heard 
by  the  ear — say  the  short  sound  of  o;  this,  t,  would  require  the 
end  of  the  tongue  to  be  pressed  hard  to  the  roof  of  the  mouth. 
Now,  if  the  sound  of  o  intervenes  between  the  pressure  of  the 
lips  and  the  pressure  of  the  tongue,  as  above  indicated,  the  word 
pot  is  necessarily  pronounced  ;  transpose  the  characters,  and 
adhere  to  the  same  rule,  and  the  word  top  is  unavoidably  pro 
nounced. 

Hence,  as  soon  as  the  learner  acquires  a  knowledge  of  the 
uses  of  the  characters,  more  than  twenty-three  of  which  have 
not  yet  been  found  necessary  in  writing  any  Indian  language,  he 
is  capable  of  reading;  because,  by  placing  the  organs  of  speech, 
or  uttering  a  sound,  as  is  indicated  by  each  character  as  it  oc 
curs,  he  is  actually  reading. 

The  uses  of  the  characters  are  never  varied,  and  they  can  be 
learned  about  as  soon  as  the  names  of  so  many  letters  of  the 
alphabet.  If  men  speak  alike,  they  will  upon  this  system  write 
alike  ;  because  each  character  denotes  invariably  either  a  simple 
sound  heard  by  the  ear,  or  the  position  of  the  organs  of  speech 
by  which  that  sound  is  modified  ;  hence,  what  would  appear  as 
bad  spelling  cannot  occur.  This  system  is  the  simple  painting 
of  speech  upon  paper.  It  differs  from  the  system  of  orthogra 
phy,  because,  by  that,  words  are  obtained  arbitrarily:  by  this, 
they  are  obtained  necessarily.  For  example,  the  learner  would 
never  of  himself  conceive  that,  after  repeating  the  names  of  the 
letters  t  o  p,  he  ought  to  articulate  the  word  top.  After  he  has 
been  told  the  names  of  the  letters,  he  must  be  taught  the  word, 
and  hence  one  name  for  a  letter  would  be  nearly  equal  to  an 
other.  Upon  the  new  system,  the  learner  is  taught  merely  the 
60 


474 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


uses  of  the  characters,  and  in  using  these  lie  unavoidably  pro 
nounces  the  word  designed  by  the  order  in  which  they  are 
placed.  This  system  differs  from  the  hieroglyphic,  because,  in 
that,  the  characters  indicate  combinations  of  sounds,  or  modified 
sounds :  either  a  sentence,  a  word,  or  a  syllable,  is  indicated  by 
the  character.  In  this,  the  characters  denote  the  mechanical 
operations  of  the  organs  of  speech,  and  which  operations  as 
certainly  produce  words,  as  the  mechanical  operations  of  the 
hand  holding  the  pencil  produce  figures. 

For  characters  the  English  types  are  used,  because  they  an 
swer  as  well  as  characters  of  any  other  shape,  and  by  so  doing 
the  expense  of  making  new  types  is  avoided;  and,  further,  be 
cause  the  English  scholar  can  more  easily  learn  to  read  with 
these  than  with  newly  invented  characters.  If  a  key  of  about 
twenty  lines  accompany  a  book  in  an  Indian  language,  explain 
ing  the  uses  of  the  characters,  an  English  scholar  with  an 
hour's  study  will  be  enabled  to  read,  understandingly,  to  those 
acquainted  with  the  language,  whether  he  understands  it  or  not ; 
and  he  can,  without  any  knowledge  of  the  language  himself, 
teach  others  to  read  it. 

The  system  is  applicable  to  any  language — the  least  so  to 
the  English  of  any  in  which  a  trial  has  been  made,  because  the 
English  embraces  more  sounds,  and  modifications  of  sounds, 
than  other  languages.  If  a  language  consisted  of  so  small  a 
number  of  words  that  each  could  be  represented  by  a  hiero 
glyphic,  without  swelling  the  number  beyond  the  strength  of 
memory,  this,  of  all  others,  would  be  the  most  convenient 
method  ;  or,  if  the  number  of  syllables  in  a  language  could  be 
represented  by  a  convenient  number  of  hieroglyphics,  it  would 
be  a  great  convenience.  This,  however,  is  not  the  case ;  the 
Cherokee  is  the  only  language  to  which  it  is  known  that  the 
system  of  Guess  will  apply,  and  this  is  written  with  about  eighty 
characters.  Experiments  made  in  other  Indian  languages  have 
demonstrated  that  the  number  would  be  increased  so  much  as 
to  render  the  application  impracticable. 

If  a  nation  is  in  possession  of  a  written  language,  it  had  bet 
ter  continue  its  method  of  writing,  though  it  be  not  the  most 
convenient,  because  the  innovation  of  introducing  the  new  sys 
tem  would  be  attended  with  many  serious  inconveniences.  All 
who  can  read  books  written  in  any  language,  upon  the  principles 
of  orthography,  can  read  books  written  upon  the  new  system ; 
but  they  who  understand  only  the  latter  cannot  read  the  former. 
But  any  people  destitute  of  a  written  language,  and  conse 
quently  without  books,  ought  to  adopt  the  new  system,  because, 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


475 


1st,  they  would  write  with  the  greater  accuracy.  There  are 
sounds  and  modulations  of  the  voice  peculiar  to  each  unwritten 
language,  which  cannot  be  obtained  by  the  orthographical  use 
of  letters,  as  they  are  employed  in  any  existing  written  lan 
guage.  This  remark  will  be  well  understood  by  every  one  who 
has  attempted  to  write  an  Indian  language ;  and  if  the  Karens 
in  Burmah,  or  other  Asiatic  nations  destitute  of  books,  speak  a 
language  radically  different  from  their  neighbours  who  have 
books,  it  will  be  understood  by  all  who  attempt  to  write  those 
previously  unwritten  languages.  2d,  The  new  system  should 
be  adopted,  because  a  knowledge  of  reading  can  be  acquired  in 
a  few  days — say,  within  the  time  required  to  learn  the  English 
alphabet.  The  facility  with  which  a  knowledge  of  reading  can 
be  acquired  would  bring  instructive  books  within  the  reach  of 
thousands,  and  tens  of  thousands,  who  otherwise  would  never 
be  able  to  read  a  sentence.  Many  of  the  Shawanoes,  and 
others  near  them,  have  learned  to  read  without  any  regular  in 
struction  from  any  one.  They  have  occasionally  fallen  in  com 
pany  with  some  of  their  people  who  could  read,  and  from  them 
have  received  some  instruction  relative  to  the  uses  of  the  charac 
ters,  and  soon  became  readers  themselves.  3d,  This  system 
should  be  introduced,  because  it  would  rapidly  widen  the  door  to 
the  introduction  of  religious  tracts  and  other  useful  prints  among 
unlettered  nations,  by  means  of  missionaries.  Among  most  of 
the  aborigines  of  America,  and  among  some  nations  of  other 
countries,  tracts  cannot  be  introduced,  because  the  people  can 
not  read  them,  and  only  one  in  a  hundred,  or  in  ten  hundred, 
may  be  in  a  situation  to  learn  to  read,  even  in  his  mother  tongue, 
by  the  tedious  process  of  spelling ;  almost  all  adults  must  be 
excluded  from  this  privilege.  But,  upon  the  new  system,  the 
missionary  who  would  accompany  a  band  of  Indians  on  a  buf 
falo  hunt  of  three  months,  for  the  sake  of  improving  himself  in 
a  knowledge  of  their  language,  could  carry  with  him  his  tracts, 
and  teach  scores  to  read  them,  as  they  would  be  occasionally 
resting  in  their  encampments.  4th,  Writing  upon  the  new  sys 
tem  covers  a  great  deal  less  space  than  upon  the  principles  of 
orthography,  because  all  redundancies  are  excluded,  and  many 
advantages  would  obviously  result  from  this  fact.  Evidently, 
incalculable  benefits  would  result  from  the  general  adoption  of 
this  system  among  the  tribes  of  American  aborigines,  and  among 
other  nations  destitute  of  books;  nevertheless,  we  have  vviih 
much  pain,  witnessed  a  backwardness,  on  the  part  of  our  fellow- 
labourers  for  the  benefit  of  the  heathen,  to  avail  themselves  of 


476  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

the  facilities  which  this  unexpected  favour  in  Providence*  offers 
them. 

Pretty  soon  after  we  had  issued  a  few  prints  upon  the  new 
system,  from  the  press  at  the  Shawanoe  mission  house,  two  in 
fluential  Presbyterian  missionaries  from  among  the  Choctaws 
visited  us.  They  had  published  a  few  books  in  the  Choctavv 
language,  written  upon  the  principles  of  orthography.  Pecu 
liar  sounds  could  not  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  the  English,  or 
any  other  alphabet,  and  to  remedy  this  evil  they  had  invented 
new  characters,  and  procured  new  types  to  print  them.  The 
superiority  of  our  cheap,  and  expeditious,  and  correct  system, 
over  their  worse  than  old-fashioned  plan,  was  so  obvious  to  us, 
that  we  hoped  for  their  ready  and  hearty  co-operation  in  intro 
ducing  it  into  common  use  in  the  Indian  country.  In  this  we 
were  grievously  disappointed  ;  and,  to  add  to  our  mortification, 
they  zealously  urged  us  to  reject  our  system,  as  futile.  No  rea 
son,  however,  was  offered,  only  that  they  had  written  a  little  in 
Choctaw,  and  all  our  prints  ought  to  be  uniform.  They  seemed 
to  overlook  the  fact  that  the  Cherokees  by  their  side  wrote  by 
syllabic  hieroglyphics,  and  that  we  could  not,  even  with  the  use 
of  the  new  characters  introduced  by  them  in  order  to  obtain 
peculiar  sounds  in  Choctaw,  write  in  Delaware,  Shawanoe,  &,c., 
without  introducing  others  to  represent  sounds  peculiar  to  these 
languages  respectively. 

A  Presbyterian  missionary  among  the  Weas  compiled  a 
small  book,  which  was  printed  upon  our  press.  He  knew  it 
would  be  rejected  by  the  Indians,  as  unnecessarily  obscure,  if  he 
wrote  wholly  upon  the  plan  of  spelling,  yet,  so  tenacious  was 
he  of  what  had  appeared  right  to  his  brethren  from  the  Choc 
taw  country,  that  he  introduced  some  of  their  new  formed  cha 
racters  ;  and  as  we  neither  possessed  nor  desired  to  possess  such 
types,  having  no  use  for  them,  he  furnished  them  himself.  He 
therefore  approached  so  nearly  to  the  new  system  as  to  make 
his  book  acceptable  to  the  Indians,  and  yet  departed  so  far  that 
it  was  not  fully  the  same. 

About  the  same  time  we  invited  our  Presbyterian  and  Me 
thodist  missionary  brethren  to  meet  with  us  at  the  Shawanoe 
mission  house,  for  the  purpose  of  religious  exercises,  and  for  the 
consideration  of  the  most  eligible  measures  by  which  we  could 
work  most  harmoniously  and  successfully,  hoping  by  such  meet 
ings  to  encourage  each  others'  hearts  and  strengthen  each  others' 
hands. 

At  this  meeting  a  careful  examination  of  the  new  system  was 


INDIAN  MISSIONS, 


477 


requested,  in  the  hope  that  a  favourable  expression  of  the  meet 
ing  might  be  obtained,  to  encourage  its  adoption  by  other  mis 
sionaries.  But  our  Methodist  brethren  were  not  disposed  to 
show  it  any  public  countenance.  This  was  indeed  the  more  sur 
prising  to  us,  because  they  had  adopted  it  themselves.  This, 
however,  they  had  not  done  so  much  from  inclination,  as  from 
the  necessity  of  gratifying  a  popular  desire  of  the  Shawanoes. 
Hymns,  and  some  other  prints,  prepared  by  the  Baptist  mis 
sionaries,  were  used  advantageously  by  Shawanoes,  Delawares, 
Peorias,  and  Weas,  in  the  Methodist  connection. 

But  if  we  have  reason  to  grieve  on  account  of  the  little 
favour  which  has  been  shown  to  the  new  system  by  the  Pres 
byterians  and  Methodists,  we  have  still  greater  cause  of  grief  on 
account  of  the  indifference  of  our  own  (Baptist)  denomination 
to  this  important  matter.  The  board,  it  is  true,  has  allowed  its 
missionaries  to  write  books  and  teach  upon  this  plan,  but  in  its 
prints  it  has  never  brought  the  subject  before  the  public  in  a 
favourable  point  of  view.  It  would  seem  from  these  prints  that 
little,  if  any,  interest  has  been  felt  by  the  members  of  the  board 
in  the  subject.  We  are  not  aware  that  any  member  of  the 
board  has  taken  so  much  interest  in  it  as  to  make  himself  suffi 
ciently  acquainted  with  it  to  enable  him  to  give  an  explanation 
to  an  inquirer.  Some  of  the  missionaries  have  repeatedly  em- 
ployed'in  its  favour  both  the  tongue  and  the  pen;  but  as  the 
patrons  of  these  missionaries  seem  not  to  regard  it  as  a  matter 
of  importance,  it  is  natural  that  others  should  feel  indifferent. 

There  is  a  pride  in  human  nature  that  makes  a  man  averse 
to  innovations  on  established  customs,  unless  the  proposed 
change  emanates  from  a  source  which  would  make  its  adoption 
honourable.  If  a  proposed  improvement  in  writing  were  to  ema 
nate  from  a  college  of  celebrity,  it  would  receive  attention  in 
the  world.  Men  would  make  themselves  acquainted  with  the 
subject,  and  the  arguments  for  and  against  it.  But  the  public 
would  as  soon  expect  some  "good  thing  to  come  out  of 
Nazareth,"  as  for  an  improvement  in  the  art  of  reading  to  be 
originated  among  missionaries  to  the  Indians.  Moreover,  the 
simplicity  of  the  plan  they  propose  is,  in  common  estimation, 
to  its  discredit.  To  tell  of  a  system  which  excludes  orthogra 
phy,  and  on  which  adult  savages,  whose  age  requires  them  to 
use  spectacles,  and  who  never  knew  a  letter  or  understood  the 
principle  by  which,  as  they  would  say,  "  a  paper  had  been 
made  to  talk,"  could  learn  to  read  a  book  in  his  mother  tongue 
by  a  few  days'  study,  must,  they  think,  be  an  error  originating 
in  a  want  of  scientific  discrimination.  The  system,  however,  will, 


478 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


we  are  confident,  outlive  its  misfortunes;  and  many  good  men, 
both  white  and  red,  in  our  own  country,  and  good  men  in  some 
others,  will  regret  that  its  introduction  among  unlettered  nations 
had  not  received  earlier  attention.  The  number  of  Indian 
languages  into  which  this  system  has  been  introduced,  the  num 
ber  of  books  printed,  &c.,  will  be  noticed  hereafter. 

Mr.  Evans,  of  whose  unnecessary  journey  of  three  hundred 
miles,  to  Arkansas  and  back,  mention  has  already  been  made, 
worked  pretty  well  for  a  while  after  his  return ;  and,  trusting  that 
experience  had  taught  him  some  useful  lessons,  we  hoped  that 
he  might  become  the  instrument  of  "  turning  many  to  righteous 
ness."  But  his  wild  fancies  again  acquired  the  ascendancy 
over  his  better  judgment  in  the  management  of  his  missionary 
labours,  and  the  board  dismissed  him  on  the  1st  of  May,  1834, 
and  he  left  the  Indian  country. 

There  were  mingling  with  the  Kickapoos,  on  Missouri,  about 
forty  miles  from  the  Shawanoe  station,  four  or  five  hundred 
Putawatomies ;  and  other  immigrants  of  the  same  tribe  subse 
quently  stopped,  and  remained  some  months  near  the  same  place. 
While  Mr.  Simerwell  kept  his  family  at  the  Shawanoe  station 
and  in  the  vicinity,  he  frequently  visited  these  Putawatomies,  and 
often  remained  among  them  several  days  at  a  time,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  imparting  religious  instruction,  and  of  teaching  a  few  to 
read  in  their  own  language.  He  compiled,  and  had  printed,  a 
small  book  in  Putawatomie.  About  the  commencement  of  his 
labours  I  had  an  opportunity  of  affording  him  some  assistance, 
by  introducing  him  personally  to  some  white  men  at  and  near 
Fort  Leavenworth,  whose  attentions  would  be  of  service  to 
him.  I  was  at  the  time  on  a  tour  of  surveying,  which  occa 
sioned  a  month's  absence  in  the  wilderness,  during  which  we 
found  much  difficulty,  on  account  of  high  waters.  Wolf  river 
was  so  narrow  that  a  large  fallen  tree,  which  lay  across  it, 
served  as  a  bridge,  over  which  we  transported  our  baggage ;  but 
the  water  was  swimming  deep,  and  the  banks  so  steep  and 
muddy  that  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  to  get  our  horses  across. 
We  placed  some  men  on  each  side,  and  then  tied  a  long  rope 
to  the  horse's  bridle,  the  end  of  which  was  held  by  the  men  on 
the  opposite  bank  ;  the  horse  was  then  forced  down  a  steep 
bank  into  the  water,  which  was  rather  an  alarming  plunge  to 
the  poor  animal.  Wthen  he  commenced  swimming,  the  men 
who  held  the  rope  commenced  pulling  him  to  the  only  place 
where  it  was  possible  for  him  to  get  out.  Having  reached  the 
opposite  shore,  it  required  long  and  repeated  efforts  of  the  horse, 
and  the  no  less  violent  efforts  of  the  men  who  were  pulling  at 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


479 


the  ropes,  to  get  him  up  the  bank  ;  this  proved  to  be  a  labori 
ous  task  before  we  got  all  across. 

The  following  is  from  a  note  in  my  journal  for  June  20th, 
1S34.  "  On  reaching  a  mound  in  the  prairie  to-day,  which  we 
erected  in  1830,  when  my  dear  deceased  son,  Rice,  was  my 
assistant  surveyor,  and  my  son  Calvin  the  manager  of  my  camp, 
I  realized  feelings  of  deep  solemnity.  '  O,  what  scenes  of  sor 
row  and  of  joy,  toils  and  privations,  hopes  and  fears,  have  I 
passed  through  since  I, was  here  four  years  ago  !  My  son,  who 
then  directed  the  erection  of  this  mound,  is  now  in  eternity — I 
trust  in  heaven.  I  reached  the  place  when  my  company  were 
not  in  sight  of  me,  and  when  I  was  not  embarrassed  by  the 
presence  of  any  human  being  in  the  indulgence  of  the  feelings 
peculiar  to  the  occasion.  I  fell  upon  my  knees,  and  returned 
thanks  to  God  for  all  his  mercies,  among  which,  the  greatest 
appeared  to  be  that  I  had  good  reason  to  believe  my  dear 
son  was  in  heaven.  Heaven  seemed  to  be  near.  I  entreated 
that  i  and  mine  might  continue  to  be  objects  of  his  gracious  care 
the  little  time  we  severally  had  to  spend  upon  earth ;  that  we 
might  be  prepared  for  heaven,  and  in  the  end  rest  with  our 
Redeemer." 

During  this  summer,  missionary  operations  progressed  with 
increasing  interest,  both  among  the  Shawanoes  and  Delawares. 
Many  among  both  tribes  learned  to  read  in  their  own  languages, 
and  the  publishing  and  distribution  among  them  of  small  books, 
which  many  had  become  able  to  read,  promised  a  happy  result. 

Still  anxious  to  issue  a  print  from  the  Indian  territory,  to  be 
circulated  through  the  United  States,  for  the  purpose  of  eliciting 
sympathy  for  the  Indians,  and  promoting  just  views  respecting 
measures  for  their  improvement,  I  issued,  in  August,  proposals 
for  publishing  a  semi-monthly  periodical,  to  be  entitled  "  The 
Indian  Advocate."  It  appeared  that  the  press  at  Shawanoe 
would  be  so  thronged  with  printing  Indian  books,  that  the  work 
could  not  issue  regularly  from  it ;  I  therefore  endeavoured  to  get 
a  printer  and  press  specially  for  this  new  publication.  I  had 
hoped  that  a  printer  could  be  found  who,  from  kindness  to  the 
Indians,  would  make  his  terms  of  compensation  easy.  I  opened 
extensive  correspondences,  with  the  view  of  employing  such 
an  one,  but  without  success.  Among  subscribers  for  the  work 
were  some  of  the  first  men  in  the  country  ;  nevertheless,  the 
subscription  list  was  too  small  to  meet  the  expense  of  publica 
tion,  and  the  design  was  necessarily  postponed,  but  not  aban 
doned. 

In  the  summer,  of  1834,  Mr.  French  made  a  visit  to  Ohio,  to 


4SO 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


look  after  some  of  his  personal  matters,  and  while  there  resigned 
his  situation  as  a  missionary.  His  resignation  was  a  loss  which 
we  regretted.  He  was  a  pious  young  man,  and  he  \vas  in  a 
field  where  he  might  have  been  useful.  He  had  no  good  reason 
for  resigning,  but,  like  Mr.  Wilson,  he  suffered  himself  to  be 
come  discouraged  without  cause.  Missions  to  the  Indians  are 
unpopular  tilings,  and  he  who  does  not  possess  resources  within 
himself  to  work  alone,  or  with  few  associates,  to  sow  much  and 
reap  little,  to  work  hard  without  the  reward  of  worldly  honour 
or  money,  to  remain  poor  all  his  life  for  the  sake  of  making  the 
almost  friendless  Indians  rich,  and  to  wait  for  his  pay  until  he 
shall  get  to  heaven,  had  better  not  enter  upon  a  mission  to  the 
Jndians. 

In  November,  1834,  I  put  in  circulation,  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  petitioners,  a  memorial  to  Congress,  praying  for  a  mail 
route  through  the  Indian  territory,  from  the  northern  to  the 
southern  extremity.  To  this  considerable  attention  was  after 
wards  given,  as  a  measure  that  would  be  convenient  and  useful 
to  all  in  the  Indian  territory,  both  white  men  and  red.  At  one 
time  we  thought  we  had  made  sure  the  accomplishment  of  our 
object,  but  the  member  of  Congress  to  wbose  charge  we  had 
intrusted  the  business,  through  partiality  for  the  white  settlements, 
laid  the  route  within  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  in  a  zigzag 
course,  in  order  to  accommodate  frontier  villages,  so  that  our 
petition  was  turned  to  the  benefit  of  others,  and  little,  if  any, 
to  the  advantage  of  those  in  favour  of  the  original  design.  I 
was  at  this  time  not  in  the  employment  of  Government ;  never 
theless,  my  correspondence  with  some  acquaintances,  who  were 
in  authority,  afforded  an  opportunity  of  promoting  what  were 
esteemed  necessary  measures,  nearly  the  same  as  if  I  had  been 
in  a  situation  to  do  it  officially. 

li Bread"  may  be  "cast  upon  the  waters,"  (or  seed  sown,)  and 
"  seen  many  days"  after  the  work  of  sowing  has  been  forgotten 
as  unsuccessful.  Evidence  of  the  truth  of  this  appeared  in  a 
small  matter  in  relation  to  the  establishing  of  the  station  among 
the  Delawares.  Operations  were  commenced  there  upon  a 
very  moderate  scale,  but  not  long  afterwards  four  or  five  Dela 
wares  were  baptized.  This  circumstance  evidently  gave  uneasi 
ness  to  some  old  Delawares,  who  were  tenacious  of  what  they 
called  "the  Indians'  religion;"  and  some  of  their  influential  men 
gave  us  to  understand,  that  although  they  would  consent  to  have 
a  school  among  them  for  the  education  of  their  youth,  they 
would  prefer  that  we  should  take  no  measures  to  make  prose 
lytes  to  Christianity.  Jealousies,  also,  unexpectedly  appeared 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


481 


among  some  white  men,  who  had  some  influence  among  the  In 
dians,  and  who  felt  less  interest  in  Baptist  missions  than  we  did. 
In  consequence  of  these  rather  intangible  obstacles,  it  was  be 
tween  two  and  three  years  before  we  could  fully  settle  the  pre 
liminaries  to  full  and  unembarrassed  operations  of  a  school,  and 
of  preaching,  &c.  In  a  conference  with  some  Delaware  chiefs 
on  this  subject,  on  the  20th  of  November,  1834,  the  chief 
Ketchum  recollected  my  former  visits  to  their  tribe,  then  in  the 
State  of  Indiana,  and  spoke  particularly;  of  some  attentions 
which  I  had  bestowed  upon  three  Delawares,  when  confined  in 
prison  in  Vincennes  ;*  on  which  occasion  he  said  he  was  pre 
sent  ;  but  of  this  fact  I  was  not  aware  until  he  informed  me.  He 
manifested  a  lively  sense  of  gratitude,  and  entire  confidence  in 
the  proposals  I  was  making  for  their  benefit.  Being  justly  en 
titled  to  great  respect  among  his  people,  it  is  believed  that  the 
confidence  with  which  he  was  inspired  in  favour  of  the  Baptist 
missionaries,  operated  not  a  little  to  promote  the  success  of  their 
designs. 

Unable  to  get  a  printing  press  in  operation,  either  in  the 
Cherokee  or  Shawanoe  country,  from  which  we  could  publish 
a  semi-monthly  periodical,  I  resolved  to  supply  its  place,  as  far 
as  possible,  by  an  annual  publication,  entitled  "  The  Annual 
Register  of  Indian  Affairs  within  the  Indian  Territory."  The 
first  number  of  this  work  was  published  in  the  fore  part  of 
January,  1835.  The  first  number  was  something  less  than 
those  that  succeeded.  The  fourth  embraces  ninety-six  large 
pages. 

The  first  number  wa?  prepared  under  circumstances  extremely 
disadvantageous.  I  was  at  the  time  attending  the  death-bed  of 
a  daughter,  and  could  seldom  find  as  much  time  as  an  hour 
without  interruption,  to  prepare  my  materials  or  to  write;  and, 
moreover,  most  of  the  work  was  performed  in  the  midst  of  com 
pany.  The  anxieties  occasioned  by  our  deep  afflictions,  and 
the  difficulties  which  attended  writing,  were  sometimes  exceed 
ingly  discouraging,  and  at  one  time  I  had  almost  concluded  to 
relinquish  the  undertaking.  But  believing  that  the  interests  of 
our  missions,  and  of  the  work  of  Indian  reform  generally,  impe 
riously  required  such  a  work,  it  was  prepared.  I  published  it 
at  rny  own  cost,  and  circulated  it  gratuitously.  One  was  sent 
to  each  member  of  Congress,  and  to  each  principal  man  in  the 
executive  departments  of  Government. 

I  requested  the  board  to  allow  it  to  be  printed  on  their  press, 
and  published  without  cost  to  me,  upon  the  same  principle  upon 

*  See  page  55, 

61 


482 


HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 


which  they  printed  other  missionary  matters  prepared  hy  other 
missionaries;  but  this  they  declined.  I  therefore  purchased  the 
paper,  and  paid  IVlr.  Meeker  for  printing.  It  is  but  just,  how 
ever,  to  state  that  the  charges  were  more  reasonable  by  about 
twenty  dollars,  in  the  whole,  than  if  the  work  had  been  perform 
ed  at  another  printing  office.  But  had  it  been  otherwise,  I 
should  have  preferred  publishing  at  this,  on  account  of  its  loca 
tion  being  in  the  Indian  territory,  and  the  partiality  which  also 
grew  out  of  the  agenpy  which  it  had  been  my  happiness  to  em 
ploy  in  its  establishment,  and  without  which,  it  was  probable,  a 
printing  press  would  not  have  been  in  operation  in  the  Indian 
country.  Nevertheless,  rinding  it  difficult  at  times  to  support  my 
family  from  what  I  earned,  when  in  the  employment  of  Gov 
ernment,  it  would  have  been  gratifying  if  the  cost  of  this  and 
of  some  other  printing  I  had  done  about  the  same  time,  all  of 
course  on  Indian  matters,  had  not  devolved  upon  myself.  This, 
too,  was  a  time  of  poverty,  with  us,  particularly  oppressive. 
My  commission  under  Government  had  expired  about  the  1st 
of  August,  1834,  and  from  that  time  until  the  1st  of  October, 
1835,  more  than  one  year,  I  had  no  public  business  by  which  I 
earned  any  thing,  and  before  the  printing  of  the  Register,  my 
funds  were  nearly  exhausted. 

I  constantly  kept  an  account  of  my  receipts  and  expenditures, 
and  on  the  19th  of  December,  1834,  at  my  particular  request, 
the  missionaries  made  themselves  acquainted  with  our  pecuniary 
affairs.  After  an  examination  to  their  satisfaction,  at  a  meeting 
convened  for  the  purpose,  they  certified  that  they  found  in  my 
hands  only  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  dollars,  besides  the  fur 
niture,  &c.,  necessary  for  house-keeping — more  than  when  I 
became  a  missionary,  seventeen  years  before.  Out  of  this  small 
sum,  too,  my  printing  had  to  be  paid  for.  The  examination  of 
the  condition  of  my  secular  affairs  by  my  missionary  brethren, 
as  above  staled,  was  requested,  in  the  hope  that  a  development 
of  our  wants  would  elicit  relief;  but  such  was  not  the  result, 
and  a  painful  anxiety  respecting  support  was  continued. 

Between  the  sub-agent  for  the  Shawanoes  and  the  Metho 
dist  missionaries  was  not  much  cordiality.  The  same  had  been 
the  case  with  the  preceding  sub-agent.  Out  of  this  circum 
stance,  and  through  the  influence  of  some  mischievous  white 
men,  six  chiefs  and  principal  men  of  the  Shawanoes  were  in 
duced  to  apply  to  the  agent  for  the  removal  of  the  missionaries, 
at  the  same  time  declaring  that  they  were  opposed  to  the  edu 
cation  of  their  children,  and  other  missionary  operations.  It 
was  not  known  that  they  had  any  dislike  to  the  Baptists ;  but 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


483 


had  their  design  been  successful,  the  result  would  have  been 
alike  injurious  to  missions  of  all  denominations.  This  matter 
appeared  to  be  assuming  a  serious  aspect,  when,  after  several 
consultations  with  the  Shavvanoe  agent,  Mr.  R.  W.  Cummins, 
and  agreeably  to  the  request  of  Mr.  Lykins  and  of  a  neigh 
bouring  Indian  agent,  I  wrote  Mr.  Herring,  the  Commissioner 
of  Indian  Affairs,  January  19,  1835,  on  the  subject;  whose 
answer  was  quite  satisfactory,  and  all  became  tranquil. 

A  few  Ottawas  were,  by  this  time,  located  in  the  Indian  ter 
ritory,  and  Mr.  Meeker  having  acquired  a  knowledge  of  their 
language,  and  still  desiring  to  labour  for  that  tribe,  we  had  made 
application  to  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  for  the  formal 
authority  requisite  in  such  cases  to  establish  a  mission  among 
them.  About  the  1st  of  February,  1835,  we  received,  through 
the  excellent  Dr.  Chapin,  President  of  Columbian  College,  and 
who  was  at  all  times  ready  to  promote  the  interests  of  our  mis 
sions,  information  of  the  success  of  our  application. 

Soon  after  we  circulated  the  Annual  Register  of  Indian  Af 
fairs,  in  the  hope  that  it  would  awaken  so  much  attention  to 
Indian  matters  as  to  allow  us  to  be  heard  on  those  subjects.  We 
wrote  to  sundry  correspondents,  especially  editors  of  religious 
periodicals,  pleading  our  want  of  more  missionaries,  and  in  proof 
of  this,  referring  to  the  facts  stated  in  the  Register.  But  we 
had  the  mortification  of  classing  this  extra  effort  with  many  other 
unsuccessful  ones  of  a  similar  character. 

March  2d,  1835,  our  daughter,  Mrs.  Givens,  who  had  long 
lingered  in  a  consumption,  died  in  our  house.  This  was  another 
heavy  stroke.  She  was  the  eighth  child  of  which  we  had  been 
bereaved.  But  our  griefs  were  much  assuaged  by  the  confident 
belief  that  she  had  followed  her  kindred  to  eternal  rest.  Among 
those  left  to  mourn  her  loss  were  an  affectionate  husband  and  an 
infant  daughter.  The  former  survived  only  a  few  months,  in 
which  time  his  health  was  firm  ;  he  professed  to  become  a  dis 
ciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  was  suddenly  called  away  from 
earth. 

It  has  been  noticed  that  when  Mr.  Lykins  visited  Mr.  Lewis, 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  '1833,  the  latter  was  in  deep  afflic 
tion  on  account  of  sickness,  and  that  the  affairs  of  the  mission 
were  not  a  little  deranged.  Mr.  Lewis  recovered  his  health, 
but  appeared  daily  to  diverge  from  the  path  of  a  circumspect 
missionary.  Notwithstanding  the  frequent  admonitions  given 
him  to  the  contrary,  he  became  more  indiscreet  and  reckless  in 
the  management  of  his  secular  affairs.  He  CFeated  debts,  and 
drew  upon  the  board  without  authority.  The  board  paid  his 


484 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


drafts,  until  fidelity  to  those  who  had  made  them  the  almoners 
of  their  munificence  forhid  it,  and  a  draft  of  five  hundred  dollars 
was  protested.  About  this  time  he  manifested  an  aberration  of 
mind  bordering  on  insanity.  He  left  the  missionary  station,  and 
spent  some  time  in  the  white  settlements  in  the  State  of  Arkan 
sas,  having  left  the  work  of  a  missionary,  but  still  professing  to 
be  a  gospel  minister.  Finally,  he  made  a  journey  to  Cincin 
nati,  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  informed  Mr.  H.  Miller,  who 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  accommodating  the  board  and  its  mis 
sionaries  in  moneyed  matters,  that  he  had  come  to  sell  a  draft 
on  the  board  for  five  hundred  dollars,  for  the  benefit  of  himself, 
and  another  for  Mr.  Davis,  of  the  same  amount,  not  having 
been  able,  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  money  in  the  Indian 
country,  to  get  his  drafts  cashed.  Mr.  Miller,  who  had  not 
yet  heard  of  his  disorderly  deportment,  and  not  doubting 
his  being,  as  formerly,  the  missionary  of  the  board,  advanced 
him  one  thousand  dollars.  Lewis  had  left  Cincinnati  a  few 
days  only,  when  Mr.  Miller  received  intelligence  of  his  apos- 
tacy.  He  was  followed  to  New-Orleans,  but  escaped  ;  hav 
ing  subjected  himself  to  an  execrable  memory,  and  inflicted 
a  d<3ep  wound  upon  the  cause  of  religion  and  missions.  It  had 
occasioned  great  satisfaction,  and  often  great  boldness,  in  the 
face  of  opposition,  to  be  able  to  state  that,  among  the  many  who 
had  quit  the  missionary  field,  none  had  wounded  the  cause  of 
religion  by  infidelity  in  pecuniary  matters.  Now  we  were  con 
founded,  and  the  enemy  seemed  to  say,  triumphantly,  "  Aha, 
so  would  we  have  it." 

Soon  after  Lewis  had  left  the  missionary  station,  and  before 
his  final  apostacy,  the  Rev.  David  B.  Rollin  and  Mrs.  Rollin, 
Miss  Rice,  and  MissColburn,  arrived  at  the  Creek  station,  under 
appointments  to  missionary  service  from  the  board.  This  was  a 
welcome  arrival  to  Mr.  Davis,  who  was  still  at  his  post,  contend 
ing  with  the  superadded  difficulties  occasioned  by  the  recent 
aposlacy. 

Mr.  Rollin  and  the  female  missionaries  reached  the  Creek 
country  in  December,  1834.  The  affairs  of  the  mission  again 
became  prosperous.  A  few  disorderly  members  of  the  church 
were  excluded,  other  backsliders  were  reclaimed,  and  a  fresh 
impetus  seemed  to  be  given  to  the  operations  of  the  mission  ; 
public  worship  became  well  attended,  and  a  small  school  was 
resumed.  After  a  few  months,  Miss  Rice,  on  account  of  im 
paired  health,  and  with  the  advice  of  the  board,  retired  from 
the  Indian  territory,  and  some  time  afterwards  became  located 
at  the  station  at  Sault  de  St.  Marie, 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


485 


In  1834,  Mr.  O'Biient,  missionary  among  the  Cherokees, 
died,  leaving  Mrs.  O'Brient  in  charge  of  a  large  family  of  chil 
dren.  The  beard  extended  to  her  some  pecuniary  assistance, 
after  the  decease  of  her  husband,  but  she  soon  left  the  Indian 
country. 

Rev.  J.  Aldrich,  by  appointment  of  the  board,  succeeded 
Mr.  O'Brient  in  the  occupancy  of  the  station.  He,  like  his 
predecessor,  became  ripe  for  heaven  soon  after  the  commence 
ment  of  his  labours  in  the  Indian  territory.  He  died  in  1835. 
A  short  time  previous  to  his  death,  the  Rev.  Chandler  Curtis, 
under  an  appointment  of  the  board,  reached  the  station,  and 
became  temporarily  associated  with  Mr.  Aldrich,  and  on  the 
death  of  the  latter,  was  left  alone  in  charge  of  the  station. 

In  1834,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Smedley  and  Mrs.  Smedley,  from 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  reached  the  Choctaw  country,  to 
fill  the  vacancy  in  the  station  occasioned  by  the  resignation  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson.  Mr.  Smedley  was  appointed  United 
States'  school  teacher,  and  received  for  his  support  a  salary 
from  the  United  States'  Government  of  five  hundred  dollars  per 
annum. 

About  the  beginning  of  1835,  Mr.  Ramsay  D.  Potts  and 
Mrs.  Potts  reached  the  Choctaw  country,  and  he  \vas  appoint 
ed  by  the  United  States'  Government  a  school  teacher,  with  a 
salary  of  eight  hundred  dollars  per  annum.  Hence  he  supported 
himself  without  cost  to  the  board  of  missions.  The  reader  will 
recollect  that  Mrs.  Potts  had  been  associated  with  the  mission 
aries  at  Carey  and  Thomas,  and  that  she  was  united  to  Mr. 
Potts  in  marriage  while  the  latter  was  United  States'  Indian 
agent,  and  a  boarder  in  the  mission  family.  Mr.  P.  was  not  at 
that  time  a  professor  of  religion,  and  on  account  of  the  marriage 
connection,  her  relation  to  the  board,  as  a  missionary,  was  neces 
sarily  changed.  It  was  therefore  doubly  gratifying  to  us  now  to 
have  them  both  associated  with  us  in  the  work  of  missions  in 
the  Indian  territory. 

In  the  same  year,  1835,  Dr.  Alanson  Allen  and  Mrs.  Allen 
entered  the  Choctaw  country,  and  he  was  also  favoured  with  an 
appointment  from  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  as  school 
teacher,  with  a  salary,  which  he  applied  to  his  support,  of  five 
hundred  dollars  a  year.  Doctor  Allen,  being  a  physician,  has 
afforded  great  relief  to  the  afflicted  Choctaws  around  him. 

About  the  same  time,  also,  the  Rev.  E.  Tucker  and  Mrs. 
Tucker  arrived,  and  he  received  a  similar  appointment,  as  a 
school  teacher  for  Choctaws,  with  a  salary  of  the  same  amount ; 


486 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


so  that  these  stations  were  all  sustained  without  cost  to  the  funds 
which  benevolence  provided  for  missionary  purposes. 

March  1-st,  1835,  the  first  number  of  a  semi-monthly  news 
paper,  printed  at  the  Shawanoe  mission  house,  in  the  Shavvanoe 
language,  was  issued.  This  was  the  first  newspaper  ever  pub 
lished  exclusively  in  an  Indian  language.  It  was  entitled  Shau- 
wau-nowe  Kesauthwau,  [Shawanoe  Sun.]  It  was  small,  only  a 
quarter  sheet,  was  written  upon  the  new  system,  and  edited  by 
Mr.  Lykins.  The  disadvantages  under  which  it  was  prepared 
for  the  press  were  great,  and  the  labour  considerable ;  which 
accounts  for  its  diminutive  size. 

Many  of  the  Shawanoes  had,  by  this  time,  become  readers  of 
their  own  language,  and  in  this  periodical  they  soon  took  a  deep 
interest,  and  sometimes  contributed  matter  for  it  from  their  own 
pens.  These  writers  were  adults,  who  lately  had  been  wholly 
ignorant  of  letters  in  any  language,  and  who  had  recently  learn 
ed  to  read  and  write  their  own.  This  they  had  done  without 
regular  attendance  on  instruction,  which,  in  their  circumstances, 
could  only  be  imparted  by  occasional  visits.  The  facility  with 
which  they  acquired  a  knowledge  of  reading,  and  some  of  them 
of  writing,  was  alone  attributable  to  the  simplicity  of  the  new 
system. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  in  1830  we  made  some  arrange 
ments  with  the  United  States'  agent  for  Pawnees,  Otoes,  and 
Omahas,  for  the  establishment  of  missions  among  them.  After 
that  time,  Mr.  Merrill  located  among  the  Otoes.  In  our  efforts 
to  obtain  missionaries,  a  gentleman  in  the  State  of  Indiana  con 
sented  to  become  a  missionary  to  the  Omahas ;  the  board  ap 
proved  him,  and  we  obtained  for  him  an  appointment  from  the 
Government  as  school  teacher.  His  salary  as  teacher  would 
have  relieved  the  board  of  all  expense  for  his  support ;  but,  to 
our  great  mortification,  he  afterwards  declined  entering  upon 
missionary  labours. 

Feeling  the  importance  of  introducing  the  new  system  of  wri 
ting  among  the  tribes  as  early  as  possible,  in  order  that  they 
might  become  capable  of  reading  religious  tracts  and  other  use 
ful  prints,  an  effort  was  made  in  reference  to  this  subject  among 
the  Creeks  and  Choctaws.  In  November,  1834,  Mr.  Lykins, 
with  the  consent  of  the  board,  wrote  to  Mr.  Davis,  among  the 
Creeks,  inviting  him  to  come  to  the  Shawanoe  station,  for  the 
purpose  of  preparing  some  prints  on  the  new  system,  which  he 
might  introduce  among  his  people.  A  similar  request  was  also 
made  of  the  Choctaw  missionary.  Mr.  Davis,  jp  compliance 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


487 


with  the  request,  started  on  the  journey  to  the  Shawanoe  sta 
tion;  but  the  distance  being  about  three  hundred  miles,  through 
a  country  mostly  open  prairie,  and  with  scarcely  any  inhabitants, 
and  the  weather  becoming  exceedingly  cold,  he  was  induced 
to  turn  back. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  1835,  the  request  was  renewed,  and  an 
express  was  sent  to  Mr.  Davis,  with  our  communication.  The 
subject  was  also  presented  to  the  consideration  of  brethren  Rol- 
lin,  Smedley,  Potts,  and  Aldrich,  suggesting  the  propriety  of 
their  introducing  the  new  system  among  the  people  of  their 
respective  charges. 

On  the  2d  of  May  Mr.  Davis  arrived,  accompanied  by  the 
Choctaw.  They  remained  at  the  Shawanoe  station  about  three 
months ;  in  which  time  Mr.  Davis  and  Mr.  Lykins  compiled  a 
school  book  in  Choctaw,  and  translated  into  that  language  the 
Gospel  of  John,  both  of  which  were  printed.  Also,  Mr.  Lykins, 
with  the  assistance  of  the  Choctaw,  compiled  a  book  in  that 
language,  which  was  also  printed  by  Mr.  Meeker,  all  upon  the 
new  system. 

These  Indian  brethren  were  furnished  with  a  small  wagon,  in 
which  they  transported  their  books  to  their  respective  places. 
Mr.  Davis,  on  his  return,  had  the  mortification  to  find  the  intro 
duction  of  his  books  injo  use  among  his  people  opposed  by  the 

Rev.  Mr. ,  a  missionary  of  another  denomination  in  his 

immediate  neighbourhood,  who  had  formed  an  unfavourable 
opinion  of  the  utility  of  the  system.  Mr.  Davis,  however, 
succeeded  so  far  as  to  make  an  experiment,  which  fully  satis 
fied  him  and  others  interested  that  the  utility  of  the  system, 
should  it  be  fairly  tried,  would  far  exceed  their  first  anticipa 
tions. 

The  book  in  Choctaw  was  not  brought  into  use.  While  it 
was  preparing  for  the  press,  we  received  information  that  the 
moral  character  of  the  Choctaw  had  been  impeached  by  reports 
among  his  own  people.  The  board,  at  our  instance,  discon 
tinued  him  in  their  employ,  after  the  expiration  of  one  year. 
The  honour  of  religion  seemed  to  require  this  for  the  present, 
though  we  were  not  in  possession  of  evidence  that  he  was  blame- 
able  ;  it  was,  therefore,  deemed  expedient  that,  for  the  purpose 
of  inquiring  into  this  matter,  of  giving  permanency  to  the  ope 
rations  of  some  other  stations,  and  of  promoting  in  various  ways 
our  missionary  matters  generally  in  the  Arkansas  and  Red  river 
countries,  I  should  visit  those  regions.  But  this  design  failed, 
through  the  pressure  of  other  business.  The  Choctaw  brother 
was,  not  long  afterwards,  called  to  the  other  world. 


488  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

For  some  months,  we  were  so  embarrassed  for  want  of  the 
means  of  support,  that  Mrs.  McCoy  and  I  both  laboured  hard 
with  our  own  hands,  whenever  the  imperious  calls  of  mission 
ary  labour  would  admit.  1  endeavoured  to  procure  bread  by 
cultivating  a  little  land.  About  the  1st  of  June,  1835,  our 
necessities  became  so  great,  that  I  was  compelled  to  post  books 
for  a  neighbouring  store,  in  order  to  earn  a  little  money  to  meet 
our  pressing  wants.  We  also  took  a  few  persons  to  board,  for 
the  same  purpose.  This  was  turning  our  time  into  a  channel 
very  different  from  that  in  which  the  whole  current  of  our  feel 
ings  had  run  for  the  last  eighteen  years,  and  one  which  rendered 
us  very  unhappy.  Our  unhappiness  was  increased,  on  account 
of  the  pressing  necessity  which  existed  for  missionary  labours. 
We  were  at  this  time  pleading  with  the  Baptist  denomination 
to  send  us  twenty  missionaries,  all  of  whom,  we  believed,  could 
immediately  enter  upon  labours  of  much  promise.  To  be  com 
pelled,  at  such  a  juncture  as  this,  to  lose  time  in  labouring  for 
bread,  could  not  be  otherwise  than  distressing  to  us.  Moreover, 
in  the  department  of  the  missionary  enterprise  in  which  it  had 
been  deemed  expedient  that  I  should  employ  rny  time  for  the 
last  seven  or  eight  years,  no  one,  either  of  the  Baptist  or  of  any 
other  religious  denomination,  was  labouring.  We  struggled  on 
in  this  way  for  a  while,  when  we  resolved  to  abandon  all  busi 
ness  which  should  materially  interrupt  our  missionary  labours, 
and  that  we  would  not  depart  from  this  course  until,  for  the 
procurement  of  that  which  was  indispensable  to  the  support  of 
life,  we  had  consumed  the  last  article  of  furniture  or  property 
which  was  necessary  to  common  convenience  in  living. 

Miss  Mary  Walton,  who,  under  an  appointment  from  the 
board,  spent  a  few  months  at  the  Thomas  station,  while  it  was 
in  charge  of  Mr.  Meeker  and  Mr.  Slater,  was  compelled,  by 
want  of  health,  to  return  to  New-England.  Subsequently,  she 
became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Blanchard,  who  returned  with  her  to 
the  Delaware  station  in  June,  1835.  They  were  accompanied 
by  Miss  Sylvia  Case,  who  was  not  at  that  time  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church.  Subsequently,  she  was  baptized,  and,  at  the 
request  of  the  missionaries,  was  appointed  to  missionary  service 
by  the  board. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


489 


Boarding  schools.  Ordination  of  a  missionary.  Indian  hos 
tilities.  Journey  to  Washington.  Boundaries  of  Arkansas. 
Ottawa  treaty,  important  amendment  in  favour  of  the 
Thomas  station.  Pulawatomie  delegation.  Cherokee  treaty. 
Fruitless  effort  to  effect  a  better  treaty^.  Bill  for  the  organ 
ization  of  the  Indian  territory.  Indian  notion  of  religion. 
Sickness.  Journey  to  Indiana.  Appointment  of  mission 
aries  to  the  Creeks.  Missionaries  leave  the  Creek  country. 

Our  operations  at  the  respective  stations,  within  the  Indian 
territory,  were  far  less  successful  than  they  had  been  at  Carey, 
in  Michigan,  before  that  station  was  materially  injured  by  the 
proximity  of  a  white  population.  This  disparity  was  owing  to 
the  want  of  flourishing  schools.  There  we  had  a  large  number 
of  scholars  boarding  at  the  mission  house,  and,  besides  impart 
ing  religious  instruction  to  them,  we  found  access,  on  their  ac 
count,  to  their  relatives  and  acquaintances;  and,  moreover,  the 
education  of  their  children,  and  their  instruction  in  manual 
labour,  and  their  improvement  in  comfort  and  in  manners,  were 
all  benefits  which  were  obvious  to  the  Indians — not  delayed,  or 
left  to  the  uncertainty  of  the  future,  but  promptly  put  into  their 
possession.  They  felt  that  they  had  undoubted  evidence  that 
we  were  both  willing  and  able  to  help  them.  Here,  within  the 
Indian  territory,  we  have  not  had  schools  of  a  character  to  pro 
duce  these  desirable  results. 

After  the  seat  of  the  board  of  missions  was  located  in  Boston, 
the  acting  members  manifested  an  unyielding  aversion  to  board 
ing  schools.  First,  they  were  objected  to  on  account  of  the 
expense  attending  them ;  and  secondly,  because  the  proper 
work  of  the  missionary  was  spiritual,  and  a  boarding  school 
would  involve  too  much  of  that  which  was  secular.  The  mis 
sionaries  viewed  the  subject  differently;  they  supposed  it  would 
be  really  a  saving  of  expense,  because,  by  having  a  few  scho 
lars  boarded,  many  others  could  be  obtained,  who  would  be 
chiefly  supported  by  their  parents,  and  the  success  of  schools 
would  have  a  tendency  to  increase  the  number  of  attendants 
generally  upon  religious  instruction,  and  in  every  way  would 
add  to  the  usefulness  of  the  missionary;  so  that  a  few  upon  this 
plan  would  accomplish  more  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians,  than 
a  .much  greater  number  without  schools,  and  the  difference 
in  this  respect  would  make  the  imparting  of  a  given  amount  of 
62 


490 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


benefit  to  the  Indians  less  expensive  to  the  board  than  could 
otherwise  be  accomplished.  With  regard  to  the  spirituality  of 
the  work,  all  agreed  that  the  ultimate  object  of  our  labours  was 
to  get  the  Indians  to  heaven ;  but  we  supposed  that  if  a  mission 
ary,  by  encountering  the  labours  of  a  school,  and  especially  of 
a  boarding  school,  could  secure  the  attention  of  ten  persons  to 
religious  instruction,  for  one  without  the  school,  that  he  ought  to 
indulge  no  scruples  about  the  spirituality  of  his  work. 

Boarding  schools  are  exceedingly  burdensome  to  missionaries; 
by  them  their  toils  and  anxieties  are  often  increased  three  or 
four  fold :  hence  some  missionaries  have  appeared  too  ready  to 
admit  the  doctrines  of  the  board,  that  boarding  schools  were  in 
compatible  with  true  missionary  labours;  but  those  who  have 
been  unwilling  to  waste  their  time,  but  desired  that  it  should  be 
so  employed  as  to  produce  the  greatest  possible  amount  of  good, 
have  generally  felt  the  importance  of  boarding  schools.  They 
are,  however,  only  indispensable  in  the  savage  state  of  the  In 
dians;  as  they  improve  in  civilization,  the  necessity  for  them 
diminishes  until  it  disappears,  and  the  improved  condition  of  the 
Indians  will  allow  schools  to  operate  upon  the  same  principles 
that  they  do  among  other  civilized  people,  and  when  attention  to 
religious  instruction  can  be  secured  by  the  same  means  that  it 
is  in  Christian  lands. 

Schools  were  opened  among  the  Shawanoes  and  Delawares, 
but  few  of  these  people  sufficiently  appreciated  education  to 
compel  their  children  to  attend  from  their  homes  any  longer 
than  they  chose  to  do  so.  Moreover,  few  were  either  so  com 
fortably  or  so  decently  clothed  as  to  make  it  pleasant  for  them 
to  attend  school.  This  was  even  an  obstacle  to  Sunday  schools. 
The  board  was,  therefore,  often  entreated  to  allow  a  few  scho 
lars  to  be  supported  in  the  mission  families,  and  that  a  small 
amount  of  means  might  be  allowed  to  enable  them  to  give  one 
meal  a  day  to  children  who  should  attend  school  from  their 
homes,  and  occasionally  a  garment  to  one  who  could  not  attend 
without  it.  Among  the  Shawanoes  and  Delawares  it  was  the 
more  necessary,  because  the  Methodists  in  the  same  neighbour 
hood  had  adopted  this  course,  and  the  delinquency  of  the  Bap 
tist  missions  in  this  respect  was  greatly  to  the  disadvantage  of 
the  latter.  In  two  or  three  instances,  very  small  sums  were 
allowed  by  the  board  for  this  object,  but  enough  could  not  be 
obtained  to  admit  of  any  systematic  or  regular  course. 

While  we  remained  at  the  Carey  station,  and  before  we  lo 
cated  there,  we  kept  up  an  extensive  correspondence  with  the 
public.  The  result  was,  in  regard  to  support  for  schools,  that 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


491 


donations  of  bedding  and  clothing — often  second-handed,  it  was 
true,  but,  nevertheless,  of  great  benefit  to  the  Indian  youth — 
were  made  by  benevolent  individuals  and  societies,  and  some 
cash  was  also  contributed  to  the  funds  of  the  board,  specially 
for  the  use  of  that  station.  At  the  same  time  the  missionaries 
managed  their  secular  affairs  so  as  to  contribute  much  towards 
support,  to  which  they  added  their  salaries  from  Government, 
and  completed,  during  four  or  five  of  the  last  years,  the  provi 
sion  necessary  to  meet  the  expenses  of  their  operations ;  and 
doing  so,  they  assumed  to  act,  in  the  matter  of  schools,  in  ac 
cordance  with  their  own  views.  But  now  the  condition  of  the 
missionaries  had  become  different ;  the  acting  board  at  Boston 
thought  it  best  for  contributors  to  their  funds  not  to  specify  par 
ticular  objects  to  which  the  donation  should  be  applied,  but  to 
leave  its  application  to  the  discretion  of  the  board,  which,  being 
able  to  take  a  view  of  all  the  missions  at  the  same  time,  could, 
as  they  thought,  more  certainly  apply  means  to  those  stations 
which  were  most  needy ;  and  this  desire  of  the  board  appeared 
in  print  before  the  public  more  than  once.  At  the  same  time, 
the  board  requested  us  not  to  appeal  to  the  public  for  help,  only 
as  we  did  it  through  them.  The  consequence  was,  that  our 
missions  became  more  and  more  shut  out  from  the  view  of  the 
Christian  public.  The  amount  of  donations  in  clothing,  books, 
cash,  &tc.,  for  the  Indians,  diminished  until  scarcely  any  thing 
was  thus  received. 

We  were  distressed,  also,  because  very  much  was  lost  for 
want  of  missionaries  to  fill  favourable  openings  which  we  had 
with  much  labour  provided  in  different  places,  and  in  which 
support,  as  teachers  of  schools,  could  be  obtained  from  the 
Government  of  the  United  States.  In  view  of  these  things,  in 
the  summer  of  1835,  most  of  the  missionaries  became  much 
discouraged ;  and  on  the  27th  of  June,  Messrs.  Lykins,  Simer- 
well,  and  Meeker,  united  in  requesting  the  board  to  direct  me 
to  travel  a  few  months  as  an  agent,  to  collect  clothing  and  other 
articles  for  the  support  of  schools,  and  to  enlist  missionaries,  and 
generally  to  give  information  of  the  condition  of  Indian  missions, 
in  the  hope  that  they  would  be  better  sustained.  The  objects 
sought,  it  was  believed,  would  be  obtained  without  the  loss  of  a 
dollar  of  contribution  to  missions  in  foreign  lands,  and  without 
diminishing  the  number  of  applicants  for  foreign  missionary  ser 
vice.  The  board  were  distinctly  informed  that  the  agency  would 
be  performed  without  cost  to  them.  The  missions  being  re 
ported  as  being  under  the  patronage  of  the  board,  it  was  neces 
sary  that  an  agency  of  this  kind  should  be  under  its  authority, 


492 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


and  ils  approbation  was  all  that  was  asked  for;  but,  to  our  grief, 
this  was  withheld.  The  cause  we  well  understood  to  be  the 
groundless  fear  which  they  had  long  indulged,  that  Indian 
missions  would  be  made  to  attract  so  much  attention,  that  a 
proper  share  of  public  munificence  would  not  be  left  for  foreign 
missions. 

Dr.  Bolles's  letter,  in  answer  to  the  above  request,  was  writ 
ten  with  studied  respect,  and  it  contained  the  following  resolu 
tion  of  the  Board : 

"In  reference  to  a  visit  to  Washington  during  the  next  winter, 
if,  in  his,  (Mr.  McCoy's)  judgment,  the  interests  of  the  Indians 
require  it,  he  is  hereby  authorized  to  go  thither,  for  the  promo 
tion  of  those  interests ;  and  that  the  expenses  of  the  journey 
be  defrayed  by  the  board." 

Our  next  hope  was,  that  we  might  find  some  others  who  felt 
sufficient  interest  in  Indian  missions  to  induce  them,  in  their 
journeyings,  to  give  a  clear  exposition  of  their  affairs,  and  pro- 
vail  upon  the  board  to  appoint  them  RS  agents.  With  this 
view,  and  even  in  the  hope  that  their  labours  might  be  made 
further  useful  in  the  cause  of  missions,  a  correspondence  was 
opened  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Thomas  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Duncan, 
both  worthy  men,  in  the  State  of  Missouri.  The  former  visited 
the  Indian  country,  and  at  one  time  seemed  strongly  inclined  to 
enlist  as  a  missionary,  but  all  ended  in  disappointment* 

On  the  18th  of  October,  1835,  Mr.  Lykins  was  ordained  to 
the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry. 

For  two  years  little  had  been  done  by  the  Government  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Indians,  and  we  had  occasion  to  regret  many 
occurrences  which,  it  seemed,  originated  in  the  deranged  state 
of  their  affairs.  About  the  first  of  December,  a  party  of  ten 
or  twelve  Delawares  returned  from  a  hunting  expedition,  with 
eleven  scalps.  They  reported  that  they  had  detected  twelve 
Pawnees  in  the  act  of  stealing  their  horses,  and  attacked  them; 
that  the  Pawnees  fled,  and  endeavoured  to  shelter  themselves  in 
a  hollow  place  in  the  earth,  from  which  only  one  was  allowed 
to  escape,  and  him  they  let  go  to  tell  the  bloody  story  to  his 
people. 

In  December,  1835,  the  second  number  of  the  Annual  Regis 
ter  of  Indian  Affairs  was  published,  and  the  expense  defrayed 
by  the  board.  On  the  8th  of  January,  1836,  I  again  set  off 
for  Washington.  My  health  had  been  poor  for  some  time,  and 
my  circumstances,  in  regard  to  support  for  my  family,  were  dis 
tressing;  the  board  would  meet  my  travelling  expenses  only. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS, 


493 


I  greatly  dreaded  to  repeat  this  long  journey  in  co  uncomfort 
able  a  season  of  the  year;  but  urged  by  some  of  the  Indians,  by 
my  missionary  brethren,  and  by  others  whose  opinions  were  en 
titled  to  respect,  T  complied.  The  following  note  is  found  in 
our  journals:  "Mrs.  McCoy  consented  to  take  the  management 
of  our  little  matters  at  home,  under  great  disadvantages,  in  order 
that  I  might  go,  because  the  interests  of  the  cause,  to  the  pro 
motion  of  which  we  have  consecrated  our  lives,  obviously  re 
quired  it.  So  many  bereaving  providences  and  deep  afflictions 
have  occurred  in  my  absence  from  home,  that  I  hardly  could 
summon  fortitude  to  start.  I  set  off  with  a  heavy  heart;  but  I 
durst  not  omit  what  appeared  to  be  duty,  merely  because  the 
performance  of  it  would  be  attended  with  inconvenience.  When 
realizing  fatigue,  hunger,  and  cold,  1  have  endeavoured  to  bear 
in  mind  that  I  was  labouring  for  the  bene£t  of  people  in  far 
worse  condition.  I  have  reflected  on  the  awful  responsibilities 
which  devolved  upon  me  in  relation  to  them,  commending  my 
family  to  the  mercy  of  my  God,  and  praying  for  success  on  our 
poor  yet  best  efforts  to  promote  the  welfare  of  an  afflicted  and 
almost  friendless  people."  On  this  journey,  in  crossing  the  Ohio 
river  on  the  ice  in  the  night,  I  fell,  and  injured  rny  right  shoul 
der;  from  which  I  never  fully  recovered.  In  exceedingly  cold 
weather,  I  travelled  three  weeks  on  horseback  before  I  reached 
a  stage  that  was  running. 

By  a  treaty  with  the  Cherokees,  in  1828,  the  Territory  of 
Arkansas  had  been  curtailed  on  its  western  side  forty  miles,  to 
make  room  for  the  location  of  immigrant  Creeks  and  Cherokees. 
This  arrangement  was  not  altogether  satisfactory  to  the  citizens 
of  that  Territory,  and  afterwards,  when  they  fonned  a  State  Con 
stitution,  a  hope  seemed  to  exist  that  this  tract,  forty  miles  wide, 
might  some  day  be  restored  to  the  State.  Some  of  the  bound 
aries  of  the  State,  in  the  parts  affecting  this  matter,  were  de 
scribed  in  rather  ambiguous  terms,  and  a  "  Declaration,"  which 
required  the  action  of  Congress,  and  which  accompanied  the 
Constitution,  provided  that  when  the  Indian  title  to  a  tract  on 
the  west  of  the  State  (embracing  the  said  tract  of  forty  miles  in 
width)  should  be  extinguished,  the  same  should  belong  to  the 
State  of  Arkansas.  Had  Congress  sanctioned  this  provision,  it 
would  have  seemed  that  the  removal  of  the  Indians  from  this 
country  had  been  contemplated. 

These  movements  in  the  Convention  in  Arkansas  gave  great 
uneasiness  to  some  of  the  Indians,  and  to  their  friends.  It  ap 
peared  to  be  laying  a  foundation  for  future  difficulties,  similar 
to  those  existing  between  the  State  of  Georgia  and  the  Chero- 


494  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

kees,  and  it  was  well  calculated  to  prevent  the  improvement  of 
those  tribes,  and,  indeed,  of  all  the  tribes  in  the  territory,  by 
compelling  them  to  feel  that  they  were  not  secure  in  their 
present  possessions.  A  communication  on  this  subject,  from  a 
gentleman  in  the  Indian  country,  reached  Washington  about 
the  20th  of  March,  1836,  and  was  placed  in  my  hands.  The 
causes  of  alarm  were  immediately  communicated  to  some  influ 
ential  members  of  Congress,  and  also  a  definite  description  of 
the  boundaries  between  the  whites  and  the  Indians.  Happily, 
these  measures,  which  would  have  thrown  doubt  around  the 
permanency  of  Indian  settlement,  were  defeated. 

About  this  time  the  Government  desired  to  extinguish  the 
title  of  the  Ottawas,  and  of  some  of  the  Chippewas  north  of 
them,  to  a  large  tract  of  country  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
the  Territory  of  Michigan,  and  a  delegation  from  La  Arba- 
croche,  on  Lake  Michigan,  was  induced  to  visit  Washington  on 
this  business.  The  main  body  of  the  Ottawas  was  on  Grand 
river  and  in  its  vicinity,  and  these  strongly  objected  to  selling 
any  of  their  country.  Twice  they  met  in  council,  near  the 
Thomas  missionary  station,  and  each  time  resolved  that  their 
country  should  not  be  sold.  But  being  informed  that  the  dele 
gation  from  La  Arbacroche  would  probably  cede  away  the  whole 
without  the  consent  of  the  nation,  they  resolved  to  send  a  dele 
gation  to  Washington  to  prevent  it.  In  order  to  appear  aloof,  as  far 
as  possible,  from  any  thing  that  would  look  like  making  a  treaty, 
they  selected  for  all  the  members  of  the  delegation,  excepting 
one,  such  men  as  were  not  chiefs,  and  who  consequently  were 
incompetent  to  treat.  For  the  assistance  of  this  delegation  in 
preventing  the  cession  of  their  country  to  the  United  States, 
Mr.  Slater  was  requested  to  accompany  them.  If  these  Ottawas 
could  have  been  induced  to  go  west  to  a  permanent  home,  the 
extinguishment  of  their  claims  in  Michigan  could  not  have  been 
regretted,  provided  it  were  done  by  fair  and  honourable  means. 
But  it  was  pretty  soon  discovered  that  a  design  existed  ajuong 
those  who  would  have  much  influence  in  fixing  the  terms  of  the 
treaty,  to  induce  them  to  sell  so  much  of  the  country  as  to  secure 
large  annuities,  &c.,  and  then  keep  them  still  in  Michigan,  cir 
cumscribed  to  lands  reserved  for  that  purpose ;  and  as  all  knew 
that  the  proximity  of  white  inhabitants  would  soon  compel  them 
to  leave  these  reservations,  it  evidently  appeared  that  a  perma 
nent  home  for  them  was  not  contemplated,  but  that  they  were 
expected  to  be  removed  northwestward,  up  the  lakes. 

If  these  plans  should  prove  successful,  the  effect  would  be  : 
the  Ottawas  would  be  detained  in  Michigan  a  few  years,  more 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


495 


crowded  and  injured  by  a  white  population  than  they  had  been 
previously;  their  deterioration  would  daily  become  more  rapid, 
and  then  another  treaty  would  be  demanded,  for  the  extin 
guishment  of  their  claims  to  these  reservations.  These  trea 
ties  were  looked  to  by  many  hangers-on  about  the  Indians  as 
times  when  large  sums  of  money  could  be  obtained  under  the 
title  of  claims,  or  something  else.  And  lastly,  they  would  follow 
these  degenerating  Ottawas  up  the  lakes  to  their  new  homes, 
for  the  sake  of  fleecing  them  of  their  annuities. 

Pending  the  negotiation,  the  delegation,  which  was  accom 
panied  by  Mr.  Slater,  presented,  through  him,  to  the  Commis 
sioner,  a  written  communication,  signed  by  all  the  chiefs  of 
Grand  river,  excepting  one  who  happened  to  be  absent,  remon 
strating  against  the  ceding  of  any  portion  of  their  country.  As 
usual  on  treaty-making  occasions,  many  of  those  hangers-on 
noticed  above  were  present,  expecting  to  profit  by  the  treaty. 
These  appeared  to  be  much  offended  at  Mr.  Slater,  who  was 
supposed  to  influence  his  delegation  to  persevere  in  their  objec 
tions  to  a  sale  of  their  country.  On  the  24th  of  March,  Mr. 
Slater  came  to  me,  apparently  much  distressed,  and  solicited  my 
advice  respecting  the  course  he  should  pursue.  I  entreated 
him  to  remain  faithful  to  the  obligations  he  had  come  under  to 
the  Ottawas  in  council  before  he  left  home.  It  had  been  inti 
mated  to  him  that  if  the  treaty  could  be  effected,  provision  could 
be  made  for  him  of  several  thousand  dollars.  1  entreated  him 
to  reject  every  such  wicked  offer;  reminded  him  that  mission 
aries,  who  generally  exercised  great  influence  over  the  Indians, 
could  many  a  time  have  enriched  themselves,  as  traders  and  many 
others  had  often  done,  by  inducing  certain  treaty  stipulations  for 
land  or  money,  but  that  they  had  never  stooped  to  accept  of  a 
personal  favour  of  one  dollar,  and  that  such  an  act  would  be 
far  beneath  the  piety  of  the  Christian  and  the  honourable  high- 
mindedness  of  the  missionary.  In  these  sentiments  he  appeared 
most  heartily  to  concur.  I  advised  him  to  write  immediately  to 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  stating  the  circumstances  of 
the  unwillingness  of  the  Ottawas  to  sell  any  land,  and  to  send 
him  a  copy  of  the  remonstrance  submitted  to  the  Commissioner. 
He  requested  me  to  write  the  form  of  such  a  communication  as 
I  thought  ought  to  go  to  the  President.  This  I  did,  but  it  was 
not  submitted ;  and,  to  my  extreme  grief  and  mortification,  the 
treaty  was  concluded,  and  signed  by  the  very  delegation  that 
was  sent  to  Washington  to  prevent  it. 

Mr.  Slater's  plan  now  appeared  to  be  to  take  as  many  Otta 
was  as  would  follow  him,  and  purchase  land  with  his  money,  and 


496 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


their  annuities,  within  the  white  settlements,  and  there  form  a 
settlement  of  Indians.  To  enable  him  to  do  this,  an  article  was 
inserted  in  the  treaty,  which  resulted  in  placing  in  his  hands  six 
thousand  four  hundred  dollars.  His  plan  has  been  carried  out, 
and  he  has  a  settlement  of  Ottavvas,  consisting  of  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  souls,  around  him,  in  the  State  of  Michigan. 
To  heads  of  families,  respectively,  are  assigned  small  farm  lots, 
perhaps  twenty  acres.  He  has  a  school,  and  continues  to  im 
part  religious  instruction  to  the  people  of  his  charge.  While  it 
is  hoped  that  his  desire  and  efforts  to  do  good  to  the  Ottawas, 
and  the  matters  of  his  settlement,  will  result  in  his  satisfaction, 
his  missionary  brethren  think  that  he  has  erred  so  as  to  require 
them,  for  the  present,  to  suspend  the  usual  attachments  of  their 
fraternity. 

Mr.  Slater  had  never  concurred  with  us  in  our  views  of  se 
curing  to  the  Indians  a  permanent  home  in  the  West.  We 
commenced  the  establishment  on  Grand  river,  in  the  hope  that^ 
during  its  continuance,  its  influence  would  bear  in  favour  of  that 
measure  ;  but,  from  the  time  Mr.  Slater  arrived  his  influence  was 
thrown  into  the  other  end  of  the  scale.  During  his  residence 
at  the  station,  several  Ottawas  made  profession  of  religion,  who 
were  believed  to  be  genuinely  pious.  With  this  exception,  it 
is  thought  that  it  would  have  been  better  for  the  Ottawas  if  the 
station  had  been  discontinued  about  the  time  we  closed  our  affairs 
at  Carey. 

The  experience  of  two  hundred  years  has  shown  to  every 
body,  that  Indians  cannot  prosper  on  small  tracts  of  country, 
surrounded  by  people  of  other  colour,  other  prejudices,  and 
other  interests.  If  Mr.  Slater's  people  should  become  the 
owners  of  land,  others  will  contrive  to  bring  them  in  debt,  and 
get  possession  of  their  lands,  with  whatever  improvements  may 
have  been  made  thereon.  It  will  be  seen  presently,  that  subse 
quent  arrangements  made  it  necessary  for  the  Ottawas,  except 
ing  such  as  might  have  purchased  land  and  settled  as  citizens, 
to  leave  that  country  in  the  course  of  five  years  from  the  date 
of  the  treaty.  About  the  time  that  the  Ottawas  shall  be  urged 
to  leave  the  country,  it  will  not  be  surprising  if  Mr.  Slater's 
settlement  of  Indians  should  increase  for  the  moment.  For 
various  reasons,  some  will  be  inclined  to  remain  in  the  country, 
and  this  settlement  will  furnish  an  opportunity  for  them  to  do  so. 
On  this  account,  the  formation  of  the  settlement  is  greatly  to  be 
regretted,  because  it  will  be  keeping  them  from  a  comfortable 
and  a  secure  home,  which  has  been  provided  for  them  in  the 
Indian  territory,  and,  judging  from  the  history  of  the  past,  they 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  497 

will,  during  their  stay,  be  sinking  deeper  and  deeper  in  degrada 
tion  and,  wretchedness. 

Seeing  that  the  treaty  was  likely  to  be  made  in  such  a  form 
that  the  Ottawas  would  be  kept  in  an  unsettled  state,  I  visited 
the  Secretary  of  War,  and  entreated  him  to  order  things  more 
favourably.  He  desired  me  to  visit  the  Commissioner  who  was 
negotiating  the  treaty,  and  communicate  my  views  and  wishes 
to  him.  This  1  declined.  I  wrote  the  Commissioner,  and  re 
quested  that,  in  the  treaty,  provision  should  be  made  to  remu 
nerate  the  board  for  the  expenses  they  had  incurred  in  erecting 
missionary  buildings,  &c.  The  treaty,  when  made,  provided 
that  the  value  of  the  improvements  should  be  paid  to  the  board  ; 
but  as  those  improvements  had  been  made  in  early  times,  under 
great  disadvantages,  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  the  bare 
valuation  of  them  at  this  lime  would  be  a  fair  remuneration  ;  I 
therefore  visited  each  member  of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Af 
fairs  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  and  told  them  the  story, 
and  desired  them  to  so  modify  the  treaty  that,  in  lieu  of  the 
value  of  the  improvements,  the  board  should  be  allowed  the 
nett  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
embracing  the  improvements.  In  the  mean  time,  the  board,  at 
my  request,  forwarded,  to  rny  charge,  a  memorial  on  the  same 
subject.  This,  with  a  written  communication  of  my  own,  came 
before  the  Committee.  The  result  was,  the  treaty  was  amend 
ed  as  we  had  requested.  And  it  was  also  further  amended,  by 
which  provision  was  made  for  the  Ottawas  to  take  a  permanent 
residence  in  the  Indian  territory,  after  the  expiration  of  five 
years.  This  latter  was  an  unwelcome  amendment  to  many. 
The  treaty  provided  that  very  large  sums  of  money  should  be 
paid  to  the  Ottawas,  or  in  various  ways  expended  in  reference 
to  them  ;  and  it  was  the  wish  of  many  to  keep  them  in  the  re 
gions  of  the  lakes,  receding  constantly  from  the  advancing  set 
tlements  of  the  white  man,  becoming  poorer  and  fewer,  and 
more  degraded  every  day,  and  consequently  more  easily  cheated 
out  of  their  money. 

White  settlements  had  by  this  time  approached  within  a 
fourth  of  a  mile  of  the  mission  premises,  and  the  value  of  the 
land  allowed  for  the  remuneration  of  the  expenses  of  the  board 
was  very  considerable,  though  it  has  not  yet  been  realized. 
This  we  pledged  ourselves,  both  in  the  memorial  of  the  board 
and  in  my  communication,  should  all  be  applied  to  the  benefit 
of  the  Ottawas,  for  educational  and  other  missionary  purposes 
in  future.  Many  considerations  having  caused  me  to  feel  a 
deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  Ottawas,  I  was  exceedingly 
63 


498 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


gratified  to  find  some  very  objectionable  features  in  tbe  treaty 
corrected  by  tbe  Senate,  especially  such  as  would  have  subjected 
them  to  a  lingering  decline  as  a  people,  while  the  merciless 
crew  which  hover  about  Indians  who  have  money  corning  to 
them,  like  buzzards  about  a  carcass,  would  pick  them  bare. 

Besides  the  two  delegations  from  Michigan,  which  were  in 
Washington  at  this  time,  there  was  another  from  the  Putawato- 
mies,  a  people  nearly  allied  to  the  Ottawas  and  Chippewas. 
These  latter  came  to  plead  with  the  Government  to  allow  them 
to  remain  on  the  northeast  side  of  the  Missouri  river.  The 
poor  creatures  had  misapprehended  the  country  which  had  been 
provided  for  them  by  treaty,  and  were  praying  for  the  privilege 
of  remaining  on  the  northeast  side  of  the  Missouri,  in  a  tract  of 
country  from  which,  if  their  request  had  been  granted,  they 
would  soon  have  been  crowded  by  white  population.  By  treaty, 
a  place  had  been  assigned  them  high  up  on  the  Missouri,  on  the 
same  side,  by  persons  who  did  not  understand  the  character  of 
the  country.  On  many  accounts,  it  was  desirable  that  they 
should  not  be  located  there,  particularly  because  there  their 
residence  would  not  be  permanent.  Measures  wTere  introduced 
with  a  view  of  locating  them  at  once  in  a  suitable  country  within 
the  Indian  territory.  In  the  promotion  of  these  measures,  the 
Hon.  John  Tipton,  United  States'  Senator  from  the  State  of 
Indiana,  took  an  active  part.  But  action  was  unaccountably 
delayed,  and  the  Putawatomies  for  the  present  remained  in  their 
encampment  unsettled. 

On  the  23d  of  May,  1836,  the  famous,  or  as  it  has  been 
called  by  many,  the  infamous  treaty  with  the  Cherokees  was 
ratified.  The  carrying  into  effect  of  the  conditions  of  this 
treaty  resulted  in  the  entire  removal  of  that  tribe  from  the  east 
to  the  wrest  of  the  Mississippi.  It  had  been  negotiated  in  the 
autumn  of  1835,  by  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Schermerhorn  and  General 
William  Carroll,  commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  United  States. 
General  Carroll  endorsed  the  treaty,  though  he  had  been  unable 
to  attend  the  negotiations.  A  delegation  from  a  small  minority 
of  the  nation  accompanied  Mr.  Schermerhorn  to  Washington, 
and  at  the  same  time  a  delegation  from  the  majority  appeared, 
who  declared  that  the  treaty  had  not  been  made  with  the  Chero 
kee  nation,  or  by  its  authority,  but  with  a  small,  unauthorized 
minority. 

It  is  not  my  business,  in  this  place,  to  give  the  history  of  the 
"  Cherokee  case,"  as  it  has  been  emphatically  styled.  It  would, 
of  itself,  form  a  large  volume  ;  and  is  referred  to  for  the  sake  of  a 
few  facts  only.  Both  delegations  of  Cherokees  were  composed 


INDIAN     MISSIONS. 


499 


of  men  of  sound  judgment,  and  both  were  averse  to  removal. 
The  party  which  had  signed  the  treaty  said  they  had  acted 
under  the  ;nfluence  of  necessity  in  choosing  between  two  evils 
which  hung  over  their  nation.  Notwithstanding  their  removal 
was  a  severe  oppression,  they  believed  that  far  greater  evils 
would  follow  if  they  refused  to  go.  The  majority  appeared  to 
rely  upon  the  intrinsic  justness  of  their  cause.  They  made 
good  their  plea  by  exhibiting  the  names  of  many  thousands  who 
declared  the  treaty  to  have  been  unauthorized. 

It  was  somewhat  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  majority  that 
they  had  more  names  to  their  memorials  than  there  were  per 
sons  in  the  nation  of  sufficient  age  to  understand  them.  Never 
theless,  nothing  need  be  more  plain  than  that  the  treaty  had 
not  really  been  made  by  the  proper  authorities  of  the  Cherokee 
nation;  and  hence,  upon  principles  of  strict  justice  in  the  case, 
few,  if  any,  could  possibly  believe  that  the  treaty  ought  to  be 
ratified  by  the  Government.  But  what  could  be  done  ?  Most 
of  the  Cherokee  country  had  already  been  surveyed,  and  the 
ownership  of  that  which  lay  within  the  State  of  Georgia  had,  by 
the  laws  of  that  State,  become  vested  in  individual  citizens,  and 
the  period  had  been  fixed  when  each  should  be  authorized  to 
take  possession  of  his  lot,  at  which  time  a  fearful  scene  of 
misery  and  bloodshed  must  take  place,  the  very  thought  of 
which  was  sickening  to  every  mind.  In  vain  was  the  inquiry 
made,  Have  the  citizens  of  the  States  interested  in  Cherokee 
lands  become  so  corrupt  that  they  will  force  the  Cherokees 
from  lands  they  have  never  legally  alienated  ?  The  answer  was, 
It  is  not  that  those  citizens  have  become  corrupt — it  is  the  effect 
of  a  corrupt  policy  which  existed  among  the  whiles  before  the 
formation  of  our  Government,  and  was  entailed  upon  it  by  that 
Government  which  preceded  ours  ;  a  corruption  which  has  pre 
vailed  in  all  the  States  of  the  Union,  and  has  resulted  in  either 
ridding  them  of  an  Indian  population,  or  of  subjecting  the  In 
dians  to  a  servility  and  degradation  more  hurtful  to  man  than 
African  slavery;*  a  corruption  by  which  every  State  has  not 
only  been  influenced- within  its  own  jurisdiction,  but  which  they 
have  unitedly  authorized  in  the  States  in  question. 

Equally  vain  was  the  inquiry,  Cannot  our  General  Govern 
ment  protect  the  Cherokees  from  oppression  by  their  nearer  white 
neighbours?  The  answer,  in  capitals,  presented  itself  to  every 
man,  NO.  Who  among  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  are 
willing  to  shed  their  blood  and  treasure  in  defence  of  Indian 

*  Negro  slaves,  under  all  their  hardships,  are  prolific,  The  Indians  vvithiu 
tli6  States  rapi  lly  diminish  in  number. 


500 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


rights,  when  not  one  State  has  admitted  that  they  possessed  the 
rights  in  question?  But  suppose  other  States  should  enforce 
upon  the  State  of  Georgia  a  more  righteous  policy  than  they 
had  themselves  respectively  exercised  towards  their  Indians, 
how  would  those  States  resist  the  claims  of  Indian  tribes  which 
would  pour  in  upon  them,  for  lands  illegally  taken  from  them  ? 
claims  not  in  the  least  differing  from  those  of  the  Cherokees. 
That  no  such  effort  would  be  made,  or  could  be  made,  in  de 
fence  of  the  claims  of  the  Cherokees,  was  obvious  to  every  well 
informed  unprejudiced  mind  among  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States.  The  alternative,  therefore,  lay  between  ratifying  a 
treaty  which,  in  itself  considered,  nobody  believed  ought  to  be 
ratified,  or  in  leaving  the  Cherokees  to  perish  under  the  miseries 
which  would  soon  be  forced  upon  them. 

In  this  painful  dilemma,  the  resolution  was  formed  by  a  few 
to  make  another  effort  to  procure  a  treaty  which  should  be  less 
unfair,  and  less  obnoxious  to  the  Cherokees  as  a  nation.  Such 
a  proposition  could  not  emanate  from  the  Executive,  because  it 
would  imply  a  doubt  respecting  the  existing  treaty,  incompatible 
with  its  ultimate  enforcement,  should  circumstances  require  it ; 
but,  under  the  impression  that  but  one  opinion  respecting  the 
unfairness  of  the  existing  treaty  prevailed  in  the  hearts  of  our 
citizens,  and  that  any  thing  better  would  be  readily  adopted  by 
the  Government,  the  responsibility  was  assumed,  by  some  indi 
viduals,  of  approaching  the  delegation  from  the  main  body  of 
the  Cherokees,  at  the  head  of  which  was  Mr.  John  Ross,  who 
was  a  man  of  superior  talents.  In  the  management  of  this 
matter,  a  Senator  of  the  United  States,  than  whom  none  under 
stood  Indian  affairs  better,  took  the  lead.  The  matter  was  kept 
within  a  confidential  circle.  Several  interviews  with  Mr.  Ross, 
or  with  individuals  of  his  delegation,  took  place,  and  for  a  few 
days  matters  seemed  to  promise  a  happy  issue;  and  it  was 
hoped  that  Mr.  Ross  and  his  party  would  yield  to  the  necessity 
of  the  case,  as  a  few  of  the  nation  had  already  done,  make  a 
better  bargain  than  the  former,  and  secure  some  alleviation  of 
the  sufferings  of  their  people.  It  was  hoped  that  a  treaty  would 
be  made  which  would  harmonize  the  feelings  and  action  of  the 
two  parties,  which  the  existing  treaty  had  created  among  the 
Cherokees.  None,  indeed,  on  the  part  of  the  Government,  had 
been  authorized  to  treat ;  but  what  was  wanted  was  to  know  if 
the  Cherokees  would  agree  to  certain  terms,  to  which  it  was 
believed  the  Government  would  consent,  in  preference  to  the 
enforcement  of  the  terms  of  the  existing  treaty.  But  somewhat 
suddenly,  and  for  reasons  not  easily  conjectured,  the  Cherokees 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


501 


manifested  an  unwillingness  to  make  a  treaty,  until  the  existing 
one  should  be  declared  null  and  void.  This  the  Government 
could  not  do,  without  the  probability  of  opening  the  door  to  all 
the  calamities  which  would  attend  the  taking  of  the  Cherokee 
country  by  force  of  arms,  by  their  white  neighbours.  All  hope 
of  obtaining  a  treaty  less  uncongenial  to  the  feelings  of  good 
men  having  vanished,  the  treaty  was  ratified  by  the  Senate  in 
the  course  of  a  day  or  two. 

Of  all  others,  this  was  the  most  favourable  time  for  the  Chero- 
kees  to  have  made  their  bargain  relative  to  removal.  Why  they 
did  not  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity,  was  rather  unac 
countable,  unless  we  suppose  that,  as  the  treaty  had  been  long 
before  the  Senate,  and  was  not  yet  ratified,  it  was  thought  that 
it  might  possibly  be  rejected.  If  this  was  the  hope  of  the  dele 
gation,  it  is  probable  it  was  prompted  by  men  who  were  capable 
of  giving  them  better  advice — not  for  the  benefit  of  the  Chero- 
kees,  but  to  answer  some  political  purpose.  It  is  believed  that 
that  delegation,  if  left  to  its  own  good  sense,  possessed  too  much 
information  to  form  such  a  vague  conjecture. 

A  subsequent  effort  in  Congress  developed  the  probability 
that  the  Cherokees  had  been  induced  to  hope  that,  even  if  the 
Senate  should  ratify  the  treaty,  the  House  of  Representatives 
would  withhold  an  appropriation  to  carry  it  into  effect,  and  that 
it  would  be  rendered  inoperative,  for  want  of  means,  on  the  part 
of  the  Executive.  An  effort,  doubtless  with  more  apparent 
vigour  than  sincerity,  was  indeed  made  to  withhold  the  requisite 
appropriation.  It  afforded  a  favourable  occasion  for  party  invec 
tive,  and,  to  a  stranger  to  Indian  affairs,  it  might  have  appeared, 
from  the  long  lists  of  bitter  complaints  of  the  cruelties  recently 
exercised  towards  the  Cherokees,  that  the  whole  design  of  the 
treaty  would  be  thwarted  by  a  very  large  majority ;  but  when 
the  vote  was  taken,  the  poor  Cherokees  learned  that  .although 
party  zeal  ran  high,  the  streams  of  sympathy  and  regard  for 
the  Indians  were  "low,  and  that  their  real  friends  were  not  to 
be  distinguished  by  the  lines  which  divided  political  disputants. 
An  overwhelming  majority  voted  for  an  appropriation  to  carry 
into  effect  the  provisions  of  the  treaty. 

The  bill  for  the  organization  of  the  Indian  territory,  which 
had  been  before  Congress  the  two  preceding  sessions,  was,  in 
the  opinion  of  some  who  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  matter,  very 
exceptionable  in  many  particulars.  To  such  it  was  a  matter  of 
much  consolation,  that  at  this  session  the  bill  was  so  framed  as 
to  embrace  the  subject  pretty  fairly.  A  report  on  the  subject 
of  the  bill  was  also  made  by  the  Hon.  John  Tipton,  of  the 


502  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

Committee  on  Indian  Affairs  in  the  Senate,  which  presented  the 
matter  in  a  just  light.  This,  it  was  believed  by  many,  advanced 
the  soundest  doctrine,  and  the  most  rational  argument  in  favour 
of  ameliorating  the  condition  of  the  Indians,  of  any  thing  of  the 
kind  that  had  emanated  from  a  member  of  our  national  legisla 
ture.  Mr.  Tipton  acquired  great  credit  for  the  bill  and  the 
accompanying  report.  Among  the  other  members  of  the  Com 
mittee  entitled  to  credit  for  this  document,  the  name  of  the  Hon. 
Hugh  L.  White,  of  Tennessee,  deserves  to  be  known.  Of  this 
bill,  and  the  accompanying  report,  I  obtained  at  my  own  cost 
many  hundreds  of  copies,  which  were  distributed  in  various 
parts  of  the  United  States. 

Notwithstanding  the  reasonableness  of  the  ground  taken  in 
favour  of  the  organization  of  the  Indian  territory,  no  law  for 
that  object  was  passed.  These  delays  were,  perhaps,  not  at.  all 
on  account  of  objections  to  the  design,  but  owing  to  the  pre 
vailing  indifference  to  the  interests  of  the  Indians.  A  question 
of  interest  to  the  Indians  simply,  unattended  by  other  interests, 
usually  received  little  attention,  and  was  crowded  out  of  the 
way  by  other  business. 

Another  obstacle  to  the  passage  of  the  bill,  at  this  time,  ap 
peared  to  be  a  war  that  was  raging  between  the  Government 
and  the  Seminole  and  Creek  Indians.  I  fully  believed  that  not 
a  little  of  the  distresses  of  these  wars  were  justly  attributable  to 
the  misdirected  zeal  and  indiscretion  of  missionaries,  and  the 
societies  which  patronised  them,  though  among  them  there 
were  honourable  exceptions.  They  had  resolved,  if  possible,  to 
establish  the  Cherokees  in  an  independent  sovereign  govern 
ment  of  their  own,  on  the  east  of  the  Mississippi;  and  they  had 
entered  upon  the  work,  and  followed  it  up  with  a  zeal  which 
implied  a  hope  of  success.  The  influence  of  the  society  most 
conspicuous  in  this  affair  was  very  great,  and  caused  newspapers 
to  teem  with  matter  in  favour  of  the  object  of  their  wishes ; 
books  were  printed,  and  the  tables  in  Congress  were  loaded 
with  memorials.  The  Indians  had  among  and  about  them  those 
who  communicated  intelligence  of  these  efforts,  and  the  poor 
creatures  were  deluded  into  the  hope  that  they  could  remain  a 
little  civil  government  within  a  government.  The  matter  was 
never  fairly  explained  to  them ;  they  were  taught  to  attribute 
their  misfortunes  to  an  unkind  disposition  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  not,  as  would  have  been  proper,  to  a 
ruinous  policy  enforced  by  all  the  States. 

Of  evils  which  cannot  be  remedied,  we  ought  to  choose  the 
least;  and  it  would  have,  indeed,  been  an  act  of  greater  kindness 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


503 


to  those  poor  Indians,  to  have  informed  them  that  necessity 
would  compel  them  to  go  west,  that  neither  the  President  nor 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States  had  power  to  prevent  it,  and 
therefore  they  ought  to  make  the  best  possible  arrangement  for 
doing  so,  rather  than  to  cherish  false  hopes  of  repose  within  the 
States. 

On  no  occasion  had  it  appeared  more  necessary  for  judicious  - 
efforts  to  be  made  for  the  promotion  of  Indian  interests,  than  on 
the  present.  In  aid  of  these  matters,  the  Rev.  Dr.  B.  T. 
Welch  visited  Washington,  and  manifested  not  only  a  laudable 
zeal  for  the  welfare  of  the  almost  friendless  Indians,  but  also 
great  sympathy  for  some  poor  anxious  missionaries,  who  felt  as 
though  they  were  labouring  almost  single-handed. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1836,  I  made  a  hasty  visit  to  New- 
York,  to  confer  with  Mr.  Cone  on  the  matters  of  our  missions. 
One  object  of  this  tour  was  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  insertion 
in  public  prints,  of  such  Congressional  and  other  documents  as 
were  calculated  to  enlighten  the  public  mind  on  the  subject  of 
Indian  affairs,  and  to  promote  a  healthful  action  in  relation  to 
them.  While  at  Washington,  I  made  application  to  the  Depart 
ment  of  Indian  Affairs  for  the  requisite  authority  for  Mr.  Simer- 
well  to  prosecute  his  missionary  labours  among  the  Putawato- 
mies,  and  for  Mr.  Rollin  to  be  appointed  school  teacher  among 
the- Creeks;  but  the  latter  took  a  view  of  this  matter  different 
from  others,  and  declined  the  appointment. 

Nearly  two  years  had  elapsed  since  1  had  earned  any  thing, 
by  services  to  the  Government,  for  the  support  of  my  family. 
Our  embarrassments  were  well  calculated  to  cause  me  much 
distress.  During  my  long  separation  from  my  family,  under 
these  trying  circumstances,  Mrs.  McCoy  was  struggling  on  in 
our  affairs  alone.  The  thought  of  being  compelled  to  leave  our 
missionary  labour  when  it  seemed  most  needed,  merely  for  the 
sake  of  earning  bread  by  some  other  business,  was  intolerable. 

Within  the  preceding  two  years,  some  surveys  of  boundaries 
of  Indian  tribes  had  been  intrusted  to  me,  by  which  I  should 
have  profited  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view,  had*  not  the  cause  of 
Indian  reform  required  me  to  make  the  present  visit  to  Wash 
ington.  But  the  circumstance  of  leaving  home  compelled  me 
to  intrust  the  business  to  another;  and,  while  I  was  held  account 
able  to  the  Government  for  its  performance,  I  derived  no  bene 
fit  from  the  compensation.  It  was,  indeed,  something  of  a  trial 
of  faith  to  relinquish  a  business  which  would  have  afforded  some 
relief  when  I  was  in  debt,  and  daily  getting  deeper,  for  the 
necessaries  of  life ;  but,  excepting  the  doubts  which  arose  on 


504 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


account  of  our  necessities,  it  appeared  evident  that  I  ought  to 
make  the  journey;  and  discovering  that  He  who  fed  the  fowls 
had  not  abated  his  care  for  them,  we  thought  he  knew  our  cir 
cumstances,  and  that  it  would  be  safe  to  trust  him  in  this  case. 

In  the  midst  of  these  painful  anxieties,  on  the  13th  of  June, 
1836,  some  Cherokees  from  the  West  demanded  of  the  Govern 
ment  a  patent  for  their  land,  according  to  treaty  provisions. 
The  matter  was  referred  to  me  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  and 
brought  pecuniary  relief,  which  allowed  me  to  continue  my  mis 
sionary  labours  without  loss  of  time.  If  we  except  the  request 
of  John  Quick,  the  Delaware  chief,  in  1830,  who  asked  for  a 
patent,  but  whose  request  was  prompted  by  another  person,  this 
was  the  first  instance  of  an  Indian  tribe  asking  for  a  patent  for 
their  land.  It  was  a  measure  which  we  had  often  urged  upon 
various  tribes  of  Indians,  and  one  to  which  the  Government 
could  have  no  objections.  This  tenure  is  very  different  from 
that  arising  out  of  treaty  stipulations.  The  latter  has  been 
variously  construed  ;  the  former  is  unquestionable.  We  there 
fore  hailed  this  event  as  the  appearance  of  another  star,  indi 
cating  the  dispersion  of  the  clouds  which  had  obscured  the 
Indians'  atmosphere. 

For  a  few  days  before  I  left  Washington  I  was  sick,  during 
which  time  the  kind  attentions  which  I  received  from  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Chapin  and  his  lady,  and  their  amiable  sons  and  daughters, 
deserves  a  prominent  notice.  I  returned  to  the  circle  of  my 
family  the  26th  of  July,  after  a  separation  of  nearly  seven 
months. 

Mr.  Lykins,  the  preceding  winter,  while  engaged  in  transla 
ting  the  Gospel  by  Matthew  into  the  Shawanoe  language,  had 
been  attacked  with  a  nervous  affection  of  the  head,  occasioned, 
perhaps,  by  too  close  application  to  study,  which  has  ever  since 
rendered  him  almost  an  invalid.  This  was  a  severe  drawback 
upon  our  missionary  operations.  The  work  of  writing,  reading, 
and  printing,  was  advancing  with  increasing  interest  both  to  the 
missionaries  and  the  Indians,  when  it  sustained  a  sudden  check 
by  this  affliction.  Mr.  Meeker,  however,  proceeded  with  the 
work,  but  had  too  much  upon  his  hands. 

On  the  6th  and  7th  of  August,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Blan- 
chard,  I  attended  at  that  station  among  the  Delawares,  with  a 
view  of  obviating  some  difficulties  which  the  prejudices  of  those 
people  threw  in  the  way  of  missionary  operations.  Indians,  in 
their  original  condition,  differ  from  almost  all  other  heathen,  in 
that  they  do  not  worship  idols,  and  have  no  regularly  established 
system  of  mythology.  This  may  be  chiefly  attributed  to  their 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


505 


erratic  habits  in  obtaining  subsistence  by  the  chase,  by  fishing, 
and  from  the  spontaneous  productions  of  the  earth — which  cir 
cumstances  almost  wholly  exclude  the  existence  of  society 
among  them.  True,  they  have  some  religious  ceremonies,  but 
these  are  as  few  as  rational  man  can  allow,  and  their  observance 
very  lax.  These  unmeaning  ceremonies  have  so  little  influence 
upon  the  morals  of  the  people,  either  for  the  better  or  the  worse, 
that  we  had  never  found  it  necessary  to  inveigh  against  them, 
as  we  would  against  the  worshipping  of  an  idol,  and  many  other 
abominable  practices  among  other  heathen.  We  had  always 
deemed  it  sufficient  to  preach  to  them  the  plain  truths  of  the 
Gospel,  and  had  always  found  that,  in  the  light  of  the  lamp  of 
life,  the  trifling  character  of  their  ceremonies  became  so  glaring 
that  they  were  deserted. 

Some  other  missionaries  have  taken  a  different  view  of  this 
matter,  and  supposed,  that  as  they  were  among  heathen,  they 
must  take  an  avowed  stand  against  all  that  was  heathenish,  and 
that  much  was  accomplished  when  they  could  get  a  party  to 
abandon  what  they  termed  the  Indian  religion,  and  draw  a  line 
between  the  Christian  party  and  the  pagan  party;  when,  in  fact, 
the  appearance  of  true  piety  was  about  as  faint  in  one  party  as  in 
the  other.  We  hear  of  a  Hindoo  renouncing  caste,  and  a  Bur- 
man  forsaking  the  Pagoda;  and  because  these  are  justly  esteem 
ed  encouraging  victories  of  truth,  we  are  inclined  to  an  imitation 
of  them  among  those  who  are  pupils  of  nature  and  not  of  priest 
craft  ;  not  duly  considering  that  the  Indian  has  no  more  of  any 
thing  like  religion  than  he,  as  a  rational  being,  is  obliged  to 
have. 

These  views  had  occasioned  a  neighbouring  mission,  among, 
the  Delawares,  to  use  the  distinguishing  terms  of  the  Christian 
party  and  the  heathen  party.  This  circumstance  alarmed  the 
majority  of  the  Delawares.  They  considered  the  presence  of 
the  missionaries  a  great  evil,  if  by  them  their  nation  was  to  be 
divided  into  parties.  "  The  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against 
God"  among  savages  as  well  as  among  civilized  people;  and 
to  this  natural  aversion  to  religious  truth  the  Delawares  added 
their  objections  to  preaching  in  their  country,  growing  out  of  the 
evil  of  creating  divisions  unnecessarily.  They  were  informed, 
at  our  meeting,  that  it  was  a  part  of  our  business  to  pray  and 
preach,  and  that,  were  we  to  omit  these  duties  we  should  be 
unworthy  to  teach  even  their  children,  and  that  for  such  delin 
quency  we  should  be  expelled  from  the  country  by  the  Govern 
ment  and  by  our  Society.  The  exercise  of  religion  was  the 
64 


506  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

result  of  choice.  All  should  be  at  liberty,  but  none  compelled  to 
hear  us  preach.  While  we  would  instruct  children  in  all  good 
things,  we  would  take  none  of  them  into  our  church  until  capa 
ble  of  understanding  and  choosing  for  themselves.  We  received 
none  into  church  fellowship  until  we  believed  them  to  be  good 
enough  in  heart  and  in  life  to  go  to  God  at  death.  To  such  as  we 
esteemed  to  be  good  we  gave  the  hand,  immersed  them  in  water, 
and  occasionally  sat  with  them  at  table,  to  taste  bread  and  wine. 
All  this  we  did  because  the  book  of  God  required  it.  Never 
theless,  in  all  the  social  relations  in  life,  we  made  no  difference 
between  the  members  of  our  church  and  other  people.  We  did 
not  desire  to  divide  the  Delawares  into  parties.  The  Bible  did 
not  require  it.  Among  the  whites  we  had  some  who  were  reli 
gious  and  some  who  were  not ;  but  nobody  ever  thought  of  de 
scribing  them  as  the  heathen  or  sinful  party,  and  the  Christian 
party.  On  the  contrary,  we  were  one  people,  as  citizens  and 
neighbours.  We  desired  the  Delawares  to  remain  one  people, 
and  ever  to  be  kind  and  affectionate  to  one  another.  They 
were  desired  to  notice  the  instruction  imparted  in  schools  and 
by  preaching,  and  were  assured  that  they  would  never  hear  any 
thing  that  would  be  hurtful ;  and  that  in  the  nineteen  years  that 
we  had  been  preaching  to  the  Indians,  and  otherwise  instruct 
ing  them,  none  had  pointed  out  any  improper  instruction  which 
we  had  given  them.  We  were  happy  to  find  that  they  imbibed 
juster  notions  of  the  duties  of  missionaries  than  those  w?hich  had 
lately  given  them  uneasiness,  and  that  they  were  apparently 
much  gratified  to  discover  their  mistake. 

Henry  Skigget  was  a  Delaware,  who  had  become  a  member 
of  the  church,  and  who,  during  three  or  four  years,  had  mani 
fested  a  laudable  desire  to  promote  the  cause  of  religion  among 
his  people.  Aware  of  the  advantages  which  natives  possess 
over  others  of  doing  good  to  the  Indians,  we  encouraged  him  to 
greater  exertion.  On  the  30th  of  August,  1836,  we  put  into 
his  hands  some  money,  &c.,  to  enable  him  to  employ  two- 
thirds  of  his  time  in  missionary  labours,  while,  for  the  present, 
the  other  third  might  be  employed  in  matters  necessary  for 
the  support  of  his  family.  In  the  mean  time  we  recom 
mended  him  to  the  board,  which  gave  him  an  appointment  for 
one  year.  He  was  a  modest,  unassuming  young  man,  and,  as 
we  thought,  calculated  to  commend  to  his  countrymen  the  reli 
gion  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  For  reasons,  not  distinctly  understood, 
he  was  not  reappointed  by  the  board — a  circumstance  which 
we  regretted — though  a  hope  is  still  indulged  that  his  services 
may  be  obtained. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS,  507 

Mr.  Lykins  had  not  entirely  recovered  from  the  severe  attack 
of  the  preceding  winter,  and  Mrs.  Lykins  was  also  in  bad  health. 
In  the  hope  that  travelling  would  be  beneficial,  they  both  set 
out  on  a  journey  to  Indiana  and  Michigan,  on  the  15th  of  Sep 
tember.  At  the  same  time  an  important  trust  was  confided  to 
him,  relative  to  the  selection  of  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  the  proceeds  of  which  had  been  secured  to  missionary 
purposes  by  the  Ottawa  treaty.  About  this  time,  also,  Mr. 
Meeker's  health  became  poor,  so  that  he  could  not  work  in  the 
printing  office,  and  was  not  able  to  do  much  any  place.  On 
account  of  the  afflictions  of  Mr.  Lykins  and  Mr.  Meeker,  the 
operations  of  the  mission  among  tlje  Shawanoes  were  in  a  de 
plorable  condition.  Miss  Brown,  who  had  accompanied  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Merrill  to  the  Otoes,  was  about  this  time  married  to  a 
gentleman  not  connected  with  the  mission,  and  of  course  her 
connection  with  it  ceased. 

In  the  summer  of  this  year  the  Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kellam 
were  appointed  missionaries,  and  sent  to  Arkansas,  with  the  de 
sign  of  strengthening  the  Creek  mission.  On  account  of  an 
other  cloud  of  difficulty  which  appeared  to  be  gathering  about 
the  mission,  Mr.  Kellam  stopped  in  the  vicinity  of  the  superin 
tendent,  and  laboured  some  months  among  the  Chociaws,  and 
partly  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Smedley. 

On  the  4th  of  November,  1836,  Mr.  Rollin  and  family  ar 
rived  at  our  place,  having  left  the  Creek  country  under  the  fol 
lowing  circumstances.  A  report  had  been  put  in  circulation  that 

a  Mr.  I ,  a  Methodist  missionary  who  taught  a  school  in  the 

Creek  nation,  had  conducted  very  improperly.  This  report  was 
seized  by  three  white  men,  two  of  whom  resided  in  the  Creek 
country  in  the  character  of  traders,  and  the  other  was  married  to  a 
Creek  woman,  and  urged  upon  the  Indians  as  a  reason  why  all  the 
missionaries  should  be  expelled  from  the  Creek  country.  Mr. 
Rollin  was  at  this  time  quietly  and  successfully  prosecuting  his 
missionary  labours.  The  Rev.  Mr,  Fleming  and  Dr.  Dodge, 
two  Presbyterian  missionaries,  were  located  in  the  vicinity  of 
Mr.  Rollin.  These  three  being  men  of  unblemished  character, 
whose  reputations  could  not  be  reached  by  such  charges  as  that 

propagated  against  Mr.  I ,  the  expedient  was  resorted  to 

of  persuading  the  Indians,  some  of  whom  owned  negro  slaves, 
that  these  missionaries  taught  the  slaves  that  they  were  entitled 
to  their  freedom.  Although  the  missionaries  regretted  the 
existence  of  slavery  in  the  Indian  country,  they  had  prudently 
forborne  to  meddle  with  the  subject.  Mr.  Rollin  had  been  so 


508 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


scrupulously  precise  upon  this  point,  that  lie  had  refused  to 
teach  the  slaves  to  read  in  his  Sunday  school,  notwithstanding 
they  had  often  entreated  him  to  instruct  them. 

Oh  the  31st  of  August  a  council  of  the  Creeks  was  convened, 
ostensibly  for  objects  unconnected  with  the  present  matter. 
While  on  the  ground,  some  of  the  chiefs  were  taken  into  the 
woods,  apart  from  the  company,  by  the  three  white  men  alluded 
to  above,  and  a  paper,  written  by  the  clerk  of  one  of  the  traders, 
was  presented  to  them  for  their  signatures.  This  purported  to 
be  a  communication  from  the  chiefs  to  the  commanding  officer 
at  Fort  Gibson,  requesting  the  immediate  removal  of  all  the  mis 
sionaries  from  the  Creek  country,  assigning  for  reasons  the  crime 

alleged  against  Mr.  I ,  and  charging  all  with  the  crime  of 

teaching  their  slaves  that  they  were  entitled  to  liberty.  As  this 
sweeping  request  involved  Mr.  Rollin  and  the  two  Presbyterian 
missionaries,  whom  all  the  Indians  believed  to  be  good  men,  and 
against  whom  not  the  shadow  of  crime,  nor  even  of  indiscretion 
in  the  matter  of  slavery,  had  been  proven,  the  chiefs  shrunk  from 
the  act  of  signing  the  paper  presented  to  them,  and  it  was  some 
time  before  the  most  subtle  arguments  which  mischievous  minds 
could  invent  induced  them  to  sign  the  communication.  The 
particulars  of  this  transaction  were,  soon  afterwards,  confiden 
tially  communicated  to  us  by  an  eye  witness  of  undoubted  veraci 
ty,  and  whose  name  could  not  be  made  known  without  exposing 
him  to  personal  injury. 

This  spurious  communication  reached  the  acting  superin 
tendent  of  Creek  affairs,  who  was  then  at  Fort  Gibson,  and  a 
few  days  afterwards  a  letter  from  him  found  its  way  into  the 
Creek  country,  of  which  the  following  is  an  extract : 

"  Fort  Gibson,  September  9,  1838. 

tl  To  the  missionaries  within  the  Creek  Nation  : 

"  GENTLEMEN  :  I  enclose  you  a  letter  from  the  chiefs,  &tc.  I 
am  aware  that  it  has  always  been  the  object  of  the  Government 
to  encourage  and  protect  missionary  labours  among  the  Indian 
tribes,  and  I  regret  that  your  labours  have  not  been  such  as  to 
satisfy  the  Indians.  The  charges  set  forth  are  of  such  a  cha 
racter  that- 1  cannot  advise  the  Indians  for  your  continuance. 
The  fact  that  Mr.  I — — ,  a  missionary,  &tc.,  [stating  the  crime 
of  which  he  was  accused,]  is  so  revolting  to  the  sacred  charac 
ter  of  the  missionary  cause,  that  I  cannot  but  deeply  regret  it. 
Under  the  excitement  which  J  know  exists  among  the  Creeks, 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


509 


it  is  my  duty  to  state  to  you,  frankly,  that  your  situation  is  not 
safe.  I  would  therefore  hope  that  you  would  not  add  further 
difficulties  by  remaining,  and  that  you  will  see  the  necessity  of 
withdrawing  from  the  nation. 

"  Respectfully,  &c., 

«  To  Mr.  J I , 

"  And  other  Missionaries  in  the  Creek  Nation." 

Only  one  copy  of  this  was  sent,  and  that,  it  will  be  perceived, 
was  addressed  to  Mr.  I ,  with  whom  the  Baptist  and  Pres 
byterian  missionaries  had  no  more  connection  than  the  author  of 

the  communication.  It  was  not  even  sent  *to  Mr.  I ,  but 

found  its  way  to  Roily  Mclntosh,  the  principal  chief  of  the 
Creeks ;  and  it  had  been  in  his  possession  some  days,  when  the 
rumour  of  its  existence  reached  Messrs.  Fleming  and  Dodge, 
who  called  and  took  a  copy  of  it.  Some  hundreds  of  the  males 
of  a  party  of  two  thousand  three  hundred  Creeks,  who  had 
recently  emigrated  from  the  seat  of  the  Creek  war,  on  the  east 
of  the  Mississippi,  had  been  carried  to  the  West  in  irons. 
Great  fear  was  felt  at  Fort  Gibson  that  the  unkind  feelings  which 
these  Creeks,  just  forced  from  the  land  of  blood,  under  these 
grating  considerations,  would  enkindle  a  war  in  the  Arkansas 
country.  The  circumstances  were  so  alarming  that  the  com 
manding  officer  at  Fort  Gibson  called  on  the  Governour  of  the 
State  of  Arkansas  for  military  assistance.  It  was  during  the 
existence  of  such  fears  as  these  that  the  Indians  ascertained 
that  the  missionaries  were  without  protection.  The  latter, 
without  delay,  left  the  country.  In  this  they  erred.  Instead 
of  leaving,  they  ought  to  have  appeared  before  the  superin 
tendent  immediately,  and  stated  to  him  that  they  were  the 
agents  of  respectable  societies,  peaceably  discharging  their 
duties  under  the  authority  of  the  Government,  and,  as  such, 
claimed  his  protection  as  the  agent  of  the  Government.  This, 
under  a  proper  appeal,  he  could  not  have  withheld.  The 
charges  had  not  been  investigated,  to  ascertain  whether  any  one 
was  guilty  or  innocent ;  nor  were  they  asked  if  they  had  any 
thing  to  say  in  their  justification. 

Before  Mr.  Rollin  left  with  his  family,  the  Creeks  held  a 
council  at  his  school  house,  and  declared  there,  in  public  coun 
cil,  that  Mr.  Rollin  was  innocent  of  all  charges  implied  in  their 
former  communication  to  the  superintendent. 

The  following  winter,  while  I  was  in  Washington,  Dr.  Bolles, 


510 


HISTOltY  0V  BAPTIST 


Corresponding  Secretary,  under  date  of  February  8th,  1837, 
requested  me  to  apply  to  the  Department  of  Indian  AiFairs  for 
justice  to  be  done  to  the  board  and  to  their  missionary,  Mr.  Rol 
lin.  I  accordingly  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs,  of  which  the  following  is  an  extract : 

"  Washington,  D.  C.,  March  8,  1837. 

"  SIR  :  The  Rev.  Dr.  Bolles,  Corresponding  Secretary,  &LC., 
having  inquired  of  you  the  reasons  which  induced  the  expulsion 
of  their  missionary,  the  Rev.  D.  B.  Rollin,  from  the  Creek 
country,  I  addressed  you,  on  the  13th  of  February  last,  request 
ing  that,  agreeably  to  the  desire  of  Dr.  Bolles,  your  reply  to  his 
letter  should  be  communicated  to  me, 

"  I  now  beg  leave,  respectfully,  to  state  that  I  am  not  aware 
that  any  just  grounds  for  the  expulsion  of  Mr.  Rollin  existed. 
So  far  as  1  have  been  able  to  inform  myself,  he  stood  per 
fectly  fair.  His  morals  were  good,  his  conduct  discreet  and 
unassuming,  and  his  ministry  was,  in  an  uncommon  degree,  suc 
cessful.  I  am  not  aware  that  any  specific  charge  has  been 
made  against  him,  either  by  the  Indians  or  any  one  else.  I 
have  seen  a  paper,  signed  by  chiefs  the  31st  of  August,  1836, 
in  which  they  say  that  "  the  missionaries  told  their  slaves  that 
they  should  be  free."  Mr.  Rollin  says  that,  so  far  from  doing 
any  thing  to  render  their  slaves  uneasy  under  their  bondage,  his 
course  has  been  precisely  the  reverse.  Though  often  impor 
tuned  by  slaves,  he  has  refused  to  teach  one  of  them  to  read, 
either  in  a  Sunday  school  or  in  any  other  way. 

"  You  will  perceive  that  the  intercourse  law,  for  the  removal 
from  the  Indian  country  of  persons  not  authorized  to  remain 
there,  does  not  apply  to  the  case  of  Mr.  Rollin.  He  was  au 
thorized  to  stay  there,  as  the  agent  of  the  Baptist  board  of  mis 
sions,  performing  labours  at  a  station  authorized  and  patronised 
by  the  Government,  so  long  as  he  conducted  himself  properly. 

"  The  operations  of  the  board  were  so  successful  that,  prior 
to  hearing  of  the  expulsion  of  Mr.  Rollin,  it  had  sent  another 
missionary  [Rev.  Mr.  Kellam]  to  labour  in  conjunction  with 
him.  A  large  church,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  members 
of  which  are  natives,  has  been  deprived  of  the  ordinary  benefits 
of  a  gospel  ministry,  by  the  unfortunate  occurrence  under  con 
sideration.  We  have  no  doubt  that  it  is  the  design  of  our 
Government,  that  all  under  its  control  should  be  allowed  to 
worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  conscience,  and 
under  this  impression  t  appeal  to  your  goo.dness,  sir,  to  give 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  511 

the  subject  your  favourable  consideration.  I  make  this  appeal 
with  the  more  satisfaction  because  of  my  firm  belief  that  there 
will  be  found  no  obstacle  to  prevent  the  board  of  missions  from 
reoccupying  their  missionary  station. 

"  Please  to  direct  your  crmmunication  to  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Bolles,  Boston. 

""  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c., 

"  ISAAC  McCoY. 
"C.  A.  HARRIS,  Esq., 

"  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs.''1 

The  following  is  an  extract  of  a  letter  that  followed  : 

"  War  Department,  Office  of  Indian  Affairs,  May  12,  1837. 

"SiR:  Your  letter  of  February  8th,  requesting  to  be  fur 
nished  with  the  reasons  that  induced  the  removal  of  Mr.  Rollin 
from  the  Creek  country,  was  duly  received.  Several  commu 
nications  were  received  from  Mr.  McCoy,  on  the  same  subject, 
during  his  visit  in  this  city. 

"  The  petition  of  the  chiefs  imputed  to  a  missionary  in  their 
country  a  crime  which  called  for  his  immediate  expulsion.  As 
a  natural  consequence,  a  feeling  of  disaffection  towards  all 
the  missionaries  was  excited  in  the  minds  of  the  Indians.  Look 
ing  to  the  extent  and  degree  of  this  feeling,  the  acting  super 
intendent  advised  them  all  to  withdraw.  In  approving  this 
advice,  it  was  by  no  means  my  intention  that  all  means  and 
efforts  to  improve  the  Indians  would  be  abandoned,  or  that  the 
residence  of  teachers  and  missionaries  among  them  would  be 
prohibited.  But  it  seemed  obvious  that  but  little  good,  if  any, 
would  be  accomplished  while  the  feelings  of  the  Indians  were 
unchanged.  Desirous  that  the  stipulations  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Indians  shall  be  carried  out  to  their  full  extent  as  soon  as 
circumstances  will  permit,  I  have  this  day  addressed  a  letter  to 

,  [the  acting  superintendent]  on  this  subject,  of  which  I 

enclose  a  copy,  and  which,  I  trust,  will  be  satisfactory  to  you 
and  your  associates. 

"  Very  respectfully,  &ic., 

"C.  A.  HARRIS, 
"  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs. 

"  Rev.  Lucius  BOLLES,  Boston,  Massachusetts" 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  letter  referred  to  in  the 
foregoing : 


512 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


"  War  Department,  Office  of  Indian  Affairs,  May  12,  1837. 

"  SIR:  The  recommendation  given  by  you  to  the  mission 
aries  in  the  Creek  country  to  withdraw  from  it,  in  consequence 
of  the  excitement  existing  against  them  in  the  minds  of  the  In 
dians,  was  approved  at  the  time,  from  the  obvious  consideration 
that  they  could  render  but  little  service  while  that  excitement 
lasted.  But  as  a  specific  charge  has  been  made  against  only 
one  of  the  number,  it  seems  unreasonable  to  persist  in  the  ex 
clusion  of  the  others,  out  of  regard  to  an  undefined  feeling  of 
dislike  entertained  by  the  Indians.  The  great  duty  of  the  Go 
vernment  is  to  apply,  in  the  most  beneficial  manner,  the  means 
placed  at  its  disposal,  by  treaties  or  otherwise,  for  the  advance 
ment  of  the  Indians;  and  I  regard  the  permanent  establishment 
of  schools,  and  the  residence  of  competent  teachers  among  them, 
as  the  most  important  of  these  means.  You  will  impress  these 
views  on  the  minds  of  the  chiefs,  and  also  the  unreasonable 
ness  of  depriving  their  people  of  all  instruction  because  one  of 
the  instructers  had  behaved  improperly.  You  will  inquire  par 
ticularly  into  the  causes  of  their  aversion  to  the  settlement  of 
teachers  in  their  country,  and  if  you  find  that  there  is  no  spe 
cific  allegation,  you  will  say  to  them,  distinctly,  that  the  teachers 
will  be  invited  to  return  and  resume  their  labours,  under  the 
protection  of  the  Government. 

"  Very,  &c., 

"  C.  A.  HARRIS,  Commissioner." 

[Directed  to  the  Acting  Superintendent.] 

Under  date  of  August  7th,  1837,  the  board  requested  me  to 
attend  to  this  matter,  in  person,  on  Arkansas.  The  propriety 
of  Mr.  Rollin's  conduct,  while  he  was  a  missionary  in  that  coun 
try,  was  confirmed ;  but  having  been  a  considerable  length  of 
time  labouring  among  the  Shawanoes,  the  expediency  of  his 
returning  to  the  Creek  country,  irrespective  of  former  consider 
ations,  had  become  doubtful.  Mr.  Kellam  was  about  this  time 
appointed,  by  the  acting  superintendent,  United  States'  school 
teacher,  according  to  a  treaty  stipulation,  and  resumed  the  occu 
pancy  of  the  mission  buildings,  and  again  put  things  into  opera 
tion  ;  and  Mr.  Rollin  remained  among  the  Shawanoes. 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


513 


Cherokee  station.  Omahas.  Death.  Journey  to  Washing 
ton.  Treaty  with  Putawatomies.  Baptisms.  Tour  in  the 
wilderness.  Seat  of  government  of  the  Indian  territory, 
fyc.  Missionaries  arrive  at  Shawanoe.  A  design  to  get 
the  Indians'  lands.  Periodical  account  published.  Annual 
Register.  Establishment  of  the  Ottawa  station.  Establish-- 
ment  of  the  Putawatomie  station.  Half-breed  lands.  Bill 
for  organizing  the  Indian  territory  laid  before  the  different 
tribes.  Putawatomies  divided.  Baptisms.  Three  delega 
tions  examine  the  country. 

Mr.  O'Brient,  though  a  worthy  good  man,  had  made  an  inju 
dicious  selection  of  a  site  for  his  station,  on  his  entering  the 
Cherokee  country.  He  had,  no  doubt,  been  misled  by  the  ad 
vice  of  some  in  whom  he  placed  too  much  confidence,  and  who 
afterwards  turned  out  to  be  troublesome  neighbours.  He  soon 
found  himself  unpleasantly  situated.  Mr.  Aldrich,  who  lived 
to  occupy  the  station  a  short  time  only  after  the  death  of  Mr. 
O'Brient,  was  in  the  same  manner  annoyed  by  some  who  lived 
near,  who  were  inimical  to  the  institution.  On  the  decease  of 
Mr.  Aldrich,  Mr.  Curtis  soon  had  to  contend  with  the  same 
difficulties.  There  were  neighbourhoods  among  the  Cherokees 
favourable  for  usefulness,  but  buildings  having  been  erected  at 
considerable  cost,  the  missionaries  were  reluctant  to  quit  them. 

Mr.  Curtis,  however,  soon  found  his  solitary  situation  there 
so  unpleasant,  being  without  an  associate,  that  he  abandoned  the 
station,  and,  early  in  the  spring  of  1836,  came  on  to  the  Sha 
wanoe  station.  Mr.  Lykins  proposed  that  he  should  locate 
among  the  Omahas,  in  which  place  we  had  been  endeavouring 
to  establish  a  mission  during  the  last  six  years,  and  which  design 
had  been  prevented  only  by  the  want  of  missionaries.  He  ob 
tained  for  Mr.  Curtis  the  appointment  of  United  States'  school 
teacher,  with  a  salary  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  dollars  a  year, 
to  date  from  the  commencement  of  his  actual  services  on  the 
ground.  Shortly  afterwards,  he  and  Miss  Colbourn  were  mar 
ried.  On  the  12th  of  November,  they  left  the  Shawanoe  sta 
tion  for  the  Omahas,  a  distance  to  the  northwest  of  about  three 
hundred  miles.  They  stopped  at  Mr.  Merrill's  station  among 
the  Otoes,  and  spent  the  winter  there.  It  was  to  be  regretted 
that,  up  to  the  spring  of  1837,  various  causes  had  prevented 
65 


514  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

Mr.  Curtis  from  performing  any  useful  labour  in  the  Indian 
country. 

The  affairs  of  our  missions,  at  this  time,  were  such  as  could 
not  be  contemplated  with  satisfaction.  The  Cherokee  station 
had  been  abandoned  ;  the  Creek  station  nearly  broken  up ;  two 
of  the  stations  among  the  Choctaws  were  under  a  cloud ;  Mr. 
Lykins,  on  account  of  ill  health,  was  absent  from  the  Shawanoe 
and  Delaware  mission  ;  Mr.  Meeker  was  afflicted  with  a  breast 
complaint,  which  was  a  great  hinderance  to  him  ;  the  unaccount 
able  delay  of  the  Government  to  locate  the  Putawatomies  kept 
them  in  an  unsettled  state,  which  made  the  obstacles  to  Mr. 
Simerwell's  efforts  for  their  benefit  great,  the  amount  of  his 
labour  small,  and  his  actual  usefulness  still  less.  These  discou 
raging  circumstances  were  not  only  felt  by  the  missionaries,  but 
by  the  board.  Under  date  of  November  llth,  1836,  Dr.  Bolles 
wrote  as  follows,  (after  speaking  of  the  difficulties  among  the 
Creeks,  &tc.)  :  "  Whether  we  shall  ever  be  able,  amidst  the 
adverse  influences  which  pervert  the  Indians,  and  render  them 
hostile  to  their  best  friends,  and  to  measures  for  their  improve 
ment,  finally  to  do  them  permanent  good,  is  more  and  more 
doubtful."  The  discouraging  circumstances  which  had  prompted 
these  doubts  of  the  corresponding  secretary  were  well  under 
stood,  and  keenly  felt,  by  us.  We  inquired,  as  appears  from  a 
note  in  the  journal :  "  What  is  to  be  done,  when  clouds  of  ob 
stacles  thicken  around  us?  Shall  we  give  up  all  for  lost,  and 
sit  down  in  despair?  No  !  Lord  help  us  to  hold  on  to  the  work 
of  Indian  reform  with  both  hands ;  and  should  they,  by  adverse 
matters,  become  tied  so  that  we  cannot  use  them,  let  us  cling  to 
the  subject  in  any  way  by  which  it  can  be  reached ;  and  should 
we  be  forced  from  it  beyond  the  reach  of  efficient  effort,  let  us 
die  with  eyes  directed  towards  this  wretched  race,  and  hearts 
praying  to  thee  to  show  them  mercy." 

The  anxieties  of  Mrs.  McCoy  and  myself  were  greatly  aug 
mented  by  the  severe  indisposition  of  our  daughter,  Mrs.  Ward, 
who, 'by  a  pulmonary  affection,  appeared  to  be  rapidly  drawing 
near  her  end.  She  had  come  to  our  house  to  allow  us  the 
opportunity  of  realizing  the  painful  satisfaction  of  her  society  in 
her  last  illness ;  and  now,  to  add  poignancy  to  all  our  griefs, 
matters  again  seemed  imperiously  to  call  rne  to  Washington. 
The  board  had  kindly  offered  to  pay  my  travelling  expenses, 
should  I  go ;  and  with  us  all,  only  one  opinion  prevailed  relative 
to  the  necessity  of  the  case,  excepting  the  doubts  which  arose 
from  the  probability  that  I  should  meet  my  daughter  no  more, 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  5  i  5 

until  the  morning  of  the  resurrection.  Of  eight  deaths  among 
our  children,  five  had  occurred  in  my  absence,  ana1  in  three  in 
stances  1  had  left  them  on  their  death-beds.  Now  to  repeat 
this  heart-rending  self-denial,  though  in  a  cause  which  seemed 
to  justify  a  great  sacrifice,  required  more  fortitude  than  could  be 
collected  from  earth.  For  many  weeks  we  sought  direction 
from  Heaven  by  prayer,  and  the  painful  separation  was  deferred 
lor  eight  days  after  all  things  were  in  readiness  for  my  departure. 
Our  daughter  understood  the  urgency  of  the  call  for  me  to  leave 
her,  and,  from  regard  to  the  interests  of  that  Cause  which  lay 
near  all  our  hearts,  she  cheerfully  consented  to  give  me  the 
parting  hand  a  few  days  before  she  extended  it  to  others.  1 
left  home  on  the  17th  of  December,  1836.  I  saw  her  no 
more — she  died  on  the  10th  of  February.  Still  it  was  evidently 
safe  to  trust  in  God.  Though  our  daughter  died  under  bodily 
pains,  which  for  many  days  were  so  acute  as  to  press  to  the 
extreme  the  tenderest  sympathies  of  those  around  her,  it  seemed 
that  the  blessedness  of  heaven  reached  her  bed  of  suffering  as 
distinctly  as  the  rays  of  the  sun  extend  to  earth,  and  that  on  a 
beam  of  glory  from  Paradise  she  ascended  towards  a  brighter 
world,  as  she  receded  from  this. 

My  journey  eastward  was  commenced  in  inclement  weather, 
and  attended  with  difficulty  the  whole  distance  of  sixteen  hun 
dred  miles.  Across  the  State  of  Missouri  I  travelled  sometimes 
on  horseback  and  sometimes  in  the  stage.  December  the  20th, 
and  the  nights  preceding  and  following,  the  mail  carrier  lay  by, 
on  account  of  the  severity  of  the  cold  storm  in  the  prairies. 
Twice  I  found  great  difficulty  in  crossing  the  Missouri  on  the 
ice.  I  reached  St.  Louis  by  a  circuitous  route  of  fourteen  days' 
journey.  Stages  were  not  running  in  the  States  of  Illinois  and 
Indiana,  and  by  some  means  the  quantity  of  ice  in  the  Missis 
sippi  diminished  so  much  as  to  induce  boats  to  run.  I  took  one, 
but  shortly  it  was  obstructed  by  ice,  so  that  passengers  were 
compelled  to  abandon  it.  By  the  hiring  of  horses,  I  reached 
Louisville  in  eleven  days  after  I  left  the  boat.  I  reached  Wash 
ington,  after  a  wintry  journey  of  more  than  five  weeks,  on  which 
I  had  been  twice  upset  in  the  stage. 

We  had  long  lamented  that  the  Putawatomies  should  unne 
cessarily  be  kept  in  an  unsettled  state.  A  delegation  of  that 
tribe  from  Michigan,  to  which  one  was  added  from  the  Missouri 
river,  was  in  Washington  on  business.  Believing  this  to  be  a 
favourable  occasion  for  the  adoption  of  measures  for  their  bene 
fit,  in  reference  to  their  future  and  permanent  location,  I  con 
ferred  with  the  Hon.  .1.  Tipton,  United  States'  Senator  from 


516  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

Indiana,  who  had  already  taken  a  deep  interest  in  this  matter, 
and  now  was  glad  to  find  an  opportunity  of  accomplishing  a 
measure  which  he  had  in  vain  hoped  for  from  resolutions  intro 
duced  into  the  Senate  two  years  before.  A  treaty  with  the 
delegation  was  concluded  on  the  llth  of  February,  1837,  in 
which  it  was  stipulated  that  a  country  on  the  Osage  river,  within 
the  Indian  territory,  of  sufficient  extent,  &ic.,  should  be  con 
veyed  to  the  Putawatomies  by  patent.  This  measure,  we 
rightly  judged,  would  place  that  tribe  in  a  suitable  place,  where 
Mr.  Simerwell  might  make  a  permanent  location  among  them, 
and  render  himself  more  useful  than  he  had  been  for  a  few 
years  previously. 

Some  matters  of  interest  in  Indian  affairs  received  attention 
during  this  session  of  Congress,  but  the  bill  for  organizing  the 
Indian  territory — of  all  others  the  most  important  measure — was 
not  passed.  The  only  difficulty  appeared  to  be  a  want  of  suffi 
cient  interest  in  the  subject,  to  bring  it  to  a  vote.  Could  Con 
gress  have  been  induced  to  act  upon  it,  there  was  good  reason 
to  believe  that  their  action  would  have  been  in  favour  of  the 
bill. 

About  eighty  miles  from  my  family,  as  I  was -returning  to 
them,  I  had  a  severe  attack  of  sickness,  on  the  20th  of  March, 
1837,  which  for  some  hours  threatened  to  deprive  me  of  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  them  ;  and  I  was  compelled  to  lie  by  until 
1  was  met  by  Mrs.  McCoy  and  my  son,  and  conveyed  home 
in  a  carriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lykins  were  still  absent.  Mis 
sionary  affairs  had  improved.  One  Shawanoe,  and  two  Sha- 
wanoe  females,  and  one  Delaware,  had  been  baptized.  Some 
obstacles  to  a  school,  in  English,  among  the  Delawares,  taught 
by  Mr.  Blanchard,  had  appeared ;  nevertheless,  teaching  in  the 
Indian  language  had  been  prosecuted  with  success,  and  about 
thirty  had,  within  a  short  time,  learned  to  read  on  the  new 
system. 

Within  the  last  seven  years  we  had  repeatedly  requested  the 
proper  authority  to  reserve  within  the  Indian  territory  a  tract  of 
land  for  the  seat  of  Government,  embracing  land  enough  for  the 
formation  of  a  considerable  settlement,  in  which  Indians  of  any 
tribe  might  locate.  This  year  I  received  instructions  to  make  a 
selection  of  a  suitable  tract  for  this  purpose.  With  this  object 
in  view,  and  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  a  location  for  an  agency, 
and  of  acquiring  information  of  the  country,  preparatory  to  the 
permanent  location  of  the  Putawatomies,  I  left  home  on  the  20th 
of  April,  1837,  on  a  tour  of  thirteen  days  in  the  wilderness.  On 
this  tour  I  was  accompanied  by  Mr.  Simerwell  and  Mr.  A.  L. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


517 


Davis,  United  States'  Indian  agent,  both  of  whom  were  interest 
ed  in  the  objects  for  which  the  tour  had  been  undertaken. 

The  extent  to  which  ideas  may  be  communicated  by  signs,  to 
and  from  some  Indian  tribes,  w7ould  appear  almost  incredible  to 
one  who  has  had  no  experience  in  this  mode  of  intercommunica 
tion.    As  Indians  become  acquainted  with  white  men  and  acquire 
a  few  words  of  their  language,  their  skill  in  this  matter  diminishes. 
Among  the  Choctaws,  Cherokees,  and  Creeks,  the  traveller  will 
frequently  fall  in  with  an  Indian  whom  he  cannot  induce  to  speak 
English,  and  who  probably  understands  very  little,  with  whom 
it  will  be  exceedingly  difficult  to  exchange  ideas  by  signs.    The 
Osages  and  Kauzaus  are  remarkable  for  their  skill  in  these  signifi 
cative  communications.     On  the  25th  of  April  I  left  the  prin 
cipal  part  of  our  company  in  camp,  and  with  a  few  men  made  a 
day's  tour  of  observation  in  the  surrounding  country.     We  fell 
in  with  an  Osage  hunter,  who  was  wholly  ignorant  of  English  ; 
and  I  knew  nothing  of  his  language,  excepting  the  name  of  his 
tribe  and  the  name  of  the  river  Neosho.     Nevertheless,  upon 
inquiry,  I  received  from  him  the  following  information,  in  nearly 
the  same  length  of  time  in  which  it  could  have  been  communi 
cated  by  words,  viz :  The  Little  Osage  village  was  beyond  the 
river,  at  a  distance  which  I  was  made  pretty  well  to  understand, 
with   one  tributary  stream  on  this  side  of  the  river  and  two 
beyond  it,  intervening  between  us  and  the  village.    He  had  left 
his  home  about  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  that  day,  [the  de 
scribed  height  of  the  sun  gave  the  time,]  and  he  had  since  been 
hunting  in  places  described.     He  then  inquired  of  me  where  I 
had  encamped  on  the  preceding  night,  and  where  I  intended  to 
encamp  on  the  following  night,  and  requested  permission  to  en 
camp  with  us;  to  all  which  1  gave  him  satisfactory  answers. 
In  travelling  back  to  our  camp,  a  distance  of  several  miles,  he 
proposed  turning  off,  for  the  purpose  of  hunting,  when  I  repeat 
ed  to  him  information  respecting  the  place  of  our  encampment, 
which  he  well  understood,  and  came  and  spent  the  night  with 
us.     In  the  performance  of  duties  enjoined  by  instructions,  I 
sent  my  son  Calvin,  the  25th  of  April,  on  a  long  tour  in  the 
prairies,  for  the  purpose  of  completing  the  survey  of  the  exte 
rior  boundaries  of  the  Cherokee  country. 

May  the  14th,  1837,  Mr.  J.  G.  Pratt  and  Mrs.  Pratt,  from 
Massachusetts,  under  appointment  of  the  board,  arrived.  Mr. 
Pratt  was  a  printer,  and  came  to  take  charge  of  the  printing 
office,  in  place  of  Mr.  Meeker,  who  was  preparing  to  settle 
among  the  Ottawas.  On  the  17th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lykins  re- 


518 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


turned  from  llieir  long  absence ;  the  health  of  whom  was  some 
what  improved,  but  not  confirmed. 

In  the  preceding  winter  an  attempt,  on  a  small  scale,  had 
been  made  to  introduce  into  the  Indian  territory  a  principle 
which,  in  its  effects,  would  have  become  subversive  of  all  that 
gives  security  to  the  Indians  in  the  possession  of  their  lands.  A 
man,  whose  opportunities  had  given  him  reputation  and  influ 
ence,  conceived  the  idea  of  improving  his  circumstances,  which, 
through  bad  management,  had  become  much  embarrassed,  by 
obtaining  a  location  among  the  Delawares.  By  his  address  he 
had  acquired  a  great  influence  over  them  ;  he  professed  great 
regard  for  them,  pointed  out  ways  in  which  he  could  promote 
their  interests,  and  proposed  that  they  should  lease  to  him,  for  a 
given  length  of  time,  a  mile  square  of  land  within  their  country. 
To  a  measure  of  this  kind  the  consent  of  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  was  necessary.  Four  Delawares,  therefore,  two 
of  whom  were  chiefs,  were  induced  to  accompany  him  to  Wash 
ington,  to  present  to  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  the  re 
quest  that  the  Government  would  allow  the  conveyance  to  be 
made,  to  which  they  attached  some  other  requests.  To  a  gen 
eral  council  of  Delawares  these  matters  had  been  presented  in 
a'  manner  so  plausible  that  the  council  Had  agreed  to  pay  the 
expenses  attendant  on  the  journey  out  of  the  next  annuity  which 
'they  would  receive  from  the  United  States.  In  the  mean  time, 
their  flattering  friend  was  to  advance  money  on  loan  to  them. 

Soon  after  the  departure  of  the  delegation,  the  propriety  of 
what  they  had  done  was  questioned  by  the  tribe.  They  in 
formed  me  of  the  circumstance,  and  that  they  had  even  gone 
so  far  as  to  request  the  Secretary  of  War  to  advance  to  the  dele 
gation  what  funds  they  should  need,  and  deduct  the  amount 
from  the  annuities  due  the  Delaware  nation.  They  now  repent 
ed  sorely  of  their  error,  and  wrote  a  letter,  through  their  agent, 
to  the  Secretary  of  War  counter  to  the  former. 

It  was  evident,  that  if  the  Delawares,  or  any  other  Indians, 
should  be  allowed  the  liberty  of  leasing  land  to  white  people, 
their  country  would  soon  be  tilled  with  the  latter,  and  they  would 
be  crowded  out.  If  liberty  should  be  given  to  lease  for  a  feiv 
years,  the  same  principle  would  admit  of  a  lease  of  many  years  ; 
and  if  allowed  to  lease  to  one  man^  they  would  be  allowed  to  do 
the  same  to  another.  The  consequence  would  be,  that  valuable 
tracts  of  land  would  be  wrested  from  them.  First,  such  as  lay 
nearest  the  white  settlements  would  be  secured  to  white  men, 
who,  by  paying  the  chiefs  liberally,  or  to  their  satisfaction,  even 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  5  19 

should  the  consideration  be  ardent  spirits,  would  purchase  their 
consent  to  lease  these  lands.  The  principle  of  leasing  would, 
in  fact,  he  tantamount  to  the  privilege  of  selling. 

Such  attempts  as  this  to  break  over  the  partition  wall  between 
the  white  and  Indian  settlements,  which  we  believed  the  Gov 
ernment  had  not  yet  made  sufficiently  secure,  were  alarming  to 
the  friends  of  the  Indians ;  and  there  were  some  who  felt  it  to 
be  their  duty  to  be  ever  on  the  alert  to  detect  them,  and  nip 
them  in  the  bud.  Contrary  to  the  high  expectations  of  the 
delegation  and  their  conductor,  the  Department  of  Indian  Af 
fairs  refused  to  transact  any  business  with  them.  Their  petition 
was  received,  and  they  were  informed  that  an  answer  should  be 
returned  to  their  nation,  not  through  the  delegation,  but  through 
their  agent  at  their  home.  They  now  found  themselves  without 
the  means  of  returning  to  their  homes,  the  resources  of  their 
conductor  having  become  exhausted.  At  the  request  of  the  De 
partment  of  Indian  Affairs,  I  brought  them  to  their  homes  at 
my  own  expense,  which  the  nation  afterwards  reimbursed  to  me. 
On  the  20th  of  May  I  attended  a  council  among  the  Delawares, 
when  this  matter  was  finally  settled,  and  a  mischievous  design 
against  the  Indians  was  once  more  frustrated. 

We  had  hoped,  more  than  once,  that  arrangements  had  been 
made  which  would  early  result  in  the  permanent  settlement  of 
the  Putawatomies,  among  whom  Mr.  Simerwell  might  resume 
his  labours  with  success ,  but  difficulties  hung  upon  the  subject, 
which  required  the  utmost  vigilance  to  obviate.  On  the  31st  of 
May,  a  party  called  to  make  inquiry  respecting  the  country  to 
be  assigned  to  them,  and,  after  much  conversation  with  them, 
they  proceeded  on  their  way  to  examine  it,  and  Mr.  Lykins 
accompanied  them.  He  was  also  appointed  by  the  agent,  Mr. 
Davis,  to  assist  in  the  management  of  .affairs  for  a  while,  in  refer 
ence  to  getting  them  into  the  country  suitable  for  them.  We 
had  already  perceived  that  a  design  had  been  conceived  by 
some,  who  desired  to  profit  by  the  misfortunes  of  these  people, 
to  get  them  to  a  remote  place  to  the  north,  unsuitable,  because 
none  could  hope  that  they  would  there  be  allowed  a  secure  resi 
dence  ;  and,  in  event  of  their  settling  there,  we  should  not  have 
thought  it  expedient  to  incur  the  expense  of  preparing  mission 
buildings  for  Mr.  Simerwell.  We  therefore  felt  a  deep  interest 
in  the  judicious  location  of  these  people,  for  whom  we  had  so 
long  laboured. 

In  the  fore  part  of  June,  I  put  in  circulation  a  pamphlet  of 
fifty-two  pages,  entitled  "  Periodical  Account  of  Baptist  Mis 
sions  in  the  Indian  Territory."  This  was  printed  on  o,ur  press 


520 


HISTORY  OP  BAPTIST 


at  the  Shawanoe  mission,  at  my  own  cost.  It  was  circulated 
gratuitously  in  the  different  States  in  the  Union,  and  was  design 
ed  to  supply,  in  some  measure,  the  information  which  the  public, 
and  the  Baptist  denomination  in  particular,  needed,  respecting 
the  condition  of  missionary  affairs.  The  design  of  the  work  will 
be  understood  by  the  following  extracts  from  the  u  Introduction." 

"  This  work  has  not  been  undertaken  to  gratify  a  fondness 
for  writing,  but  because  such  a  work  is  obviously  needed.  In 
'the  American  Baptist  Magazine,  which  is  the  chief  vehicle  of 
missionary  intelligence  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Baptist 
General  Convention,  there  is  little  room  for  matters  relating  to 
missions  among  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  our  country.  The 
operations  of  the  board  in  Asia,  Africa,  and  Europe,  have  be 
come  so  extensive,  that  a  monthly  pamphlet  of  twenty- four 
pages,  is  scarcely  sufficient  to  keep  before  the  eye  of  the  public 
the  condition  and  prospects  of  missions  in  those  countries,  ex 
clusive  of  accounts  of  missions  among  the  Indians.  It  is  true, 
the  Magazine  does  not  wholly  overlook  Indian  missions,  and 
some  extra  publications  are  also  issued,  embracing  reports  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  General  Convention,  and  of  its  board  ;  but 
still  there  has  not  been  room,  in  the  publications  which  have 
heretofore  appeared,  for  such  an  exhibition  of  Indian  missions 
as  is  necessary  to  a  just  understanding  of  their  condition. 

"  We  believe  we  may  safely  state,  as  a  fact,  that  the  condi 
tion,  wants,  and  prospects  of  Baptist  missions  among  the  Indians 
have  not,  at  any  time  since  their  commencement  in  1817,  been 
fully  held  up  to  public  view.  This  is  necessary  for  eliciting 
energetic  efforts  in  support  of  them,  and,  for  want  of  it,  they 
have  not  been  liberally  sustained.  Besides  some  three  or  four 
of  the  acting  members  of  the  board,  and  the  missionaries,  we 
believe  there  is  not  a  person  in  the  United  States  who  possesses 
a  tolerably  correct  knowledge  of  the  history  of  our  Indian  mis 
sions,  or  who  could  at  this  time  give  to  an  inquirer  a  correct 
account  of  the  number,  location,  condition,  and  prospects  of  the 
stations,  or  who  could  point  out  the  places  at  which  missiona 
ries  are  needed,  or  the  extent  of  the  demand  for  more  mission 
aries.  We  should  be  happy  to  find  that  we  have  been  mistaken 
in  this  matter,  and  the  discovery  would  relieve  us  from  the 
labour  of  the  present  undertaking.  But  we  are  lamentably  cer 
tain  that  we  are  not  mistaken.  We  have  been  in  the  missionary 
field  ever  since  1817,  and  have  carefully  noticed  every  item  of 
information  presented  to  the  public,  that  has  come  within  our 
reach.  We  have  been  so  situated  that,  we  believe,  nothing 
material  has  escaped  our  notice ;  and  we  feel  confident  that  he 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


521 


who  would  write  even  a  brief  history  of  Indian  missions,  or 
who  would  exhibit  a  faithful  account  of  them,  as  they  at  present 
exist,  would  be  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  other  sources  of 
information  than  public  prints  hitherto  issued. 

"  We  bring  no  accusation  against  any  one.  We  barely  state 
what  we  believe  to  be  undeniable  facts ;  and  these  facts  prove 
the  need  of  a  publication  devoted  chiefly  or  exclusively  to  In 
dian  missions.  Public  journals  must  have  their  limits.  They 
can  contain  a  given  amount  of  matter,  and  no  more.  If,  then, 
while  existing  journals  are  well  filled,  some  things  of  importance 
remain  unnoticed,  we  feel  the  necessity  for  an  additional  peri 
odical.  The  judicious  selection  of  matter  for  the  public  jour 
nals  of  the  Baptist  General  Missionary  Convention  cannot 
have  failed  to  be  gratifying  to  the  whole  denomination.  In 
looking  into  those  prints,  we  find  nothing  that  ought  to  be 
omitted.  We  may,  therefore,  pretty  safely  say  there  is  not 
room  in  them  for  accounts  of  Indian  missions.  No  doubt,  if 
missionaries  to  the  Indians  were  to  compile  a  few  numbers  of 
the  Magazine,  and  of  some  other  religious  journals,  they  would 
increase  the  number  and  length  of  articles  relating  to  the  almost 
friendless  people  among  whom  they  labour  ;  but  this  does  not 
argue  that  the  publishers  ought  to  depart  from  the  course  which 
has  hitherto  appeared  to  them  proper.  Though  those  prints 
contain  clear  evidence  that  their  authors  have  strong  partialities 
for  foreign  missions,  yet  they  are  such  partialities  only  as  men 
have  a  right  to  exercise. 

"  When  missions  are  brought  to  view,  whether  in  a  plain  his 
torical  account,  or  in  a  pathetic  appeal  to  the  benevolent  for 
help,  in  men  or  means,  Indian  missions  appear  to  occupy  only 
a  second,  a  third,  or  a  tenth  place  in  the  estimation  of  the  writer. 
There  are  many  causes  which  operate  to  produce  this  partiality, 
of  some  of  which  we  shall  take  occasion  to  speak  at  another 
time.  It  is  sufficient  for  our  present  purpose  to  mention  that 
such  is  the  fact ;  and  that  in  this  fact  is  seen  the  necessity  for 
some  other  periodical,  on  the  subject  of  missions,  than  has  yet 
appeared.  We  do  not  think  that  too  much  attention  has  been 
bestowed  on  foreign  missions ;  and  we  should  write  with  a 
trembling  hand,  if  we  thought  that,  by  praying  for  more  assist 
ance  to  Indian  missions,  the  amount  of  support  to  the  former 
would  be  diminished. 

"  We  do  think  that  too  little  has  been  done  for  the  In 
dians.  Of  this  we  feel  so  well  assured,  that  we  cannot  suppose 
any  one  will  undertake  to  say  that  we  are  mistaken.  We  are 
equally  confident  that  increased  efforts  in  favour  of  Indian  rnis- 

66 


522 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


sions,  so  far  from  injuring,  will  promote  those  in  foreign  lands, 
as  certainly  as  the  latter  are  promoted  by  the  Home  missionary 
cause,  or  by  Bible  societies,  both  of  which,  it  is  well  known, 
promote  the  cause  of  foreign  missions. 

"  We  shall  hardly  be  accused  of  having  entered  upon  our 
present  work  rashly,  when  it  is  understood  that  for  about  nine 
teen  years  we  have  struggled  under  the  disadvantages  which 
necessarily  result  from  a  want  of  information  on  the  part  of  the 
public,  on  the  subject  of  Indian  missions ;  and  that  now,  in  the 
twentieth  year,  these  evils  are,  in  proportion  to  the  sum  of  mis 
sionary  operations  generally,  greater  than  they  were  during  the 
first  three  or  four  years  of  our  service.  The  inconveniences  of 
which  we  speak  have  been  common  to  all  among  the  Indians. 

"  It  will  appear  in  the  sequel,  that  men  are  more  needed  than 
means.  The  want  of  the  latter  (we  mean  food  and  raiment 
for  missionaries)  is  often  lessened  by  the  industry  and  economy 
of  the  consumers.  By  their  personal  efforts,  also,  means  are 
sometimes  obtained  from  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 
and  from  benevolent  societies  and  liberal  individuals.  This  de 
ficiency  of  missionaries  in  the  Indian  department  shows  a  want 
of  something  to  enlist  the  sympathies  of  such  as  have  a  thought 
of  devoting  their  lives  to  missionary  labours.  Such  persons,  in 
looking  around  for  a  field  for  future  operations,  naturally  con 
sult  the  public  prints ;  and  their  choice  is  not  a  little  influenced 
by  the  apparent  interest  which  the  Convention  takes  in  the 
several  missions.  Moreover,  in  the  absence  of  definite  informa 
tion  respecting  Indian  missions,  they  read  glowing  accounts  of 
missions  to  other  nations,  and  pressing  calls  for  labourers,  with 
extended  prospects  of  usefulness.  Amidst  these  justly  anima 
ting  matters,  a  few  poor  ignorant  Indians  are  almost  or  entirely 
forgotten.  Seldom  do  we  hear  any  thing  more  encouraging  in 
relation  to  them,  than  a  sigh,  or  a  despairing  exclamation — 
"  Poor  creatures  !  They  have  been  very  much  oppressed  ;  we 
ought  to  do  them  all  the  good  in  our  power.  *  Be  ye  warmed 
and  be  ye  filled.' '  Here  the  matter  begins  and  here  it  ends. 
Few  give  themselves  the  trouble  of  looking  into  either  the 
cause  or  the  extent  of  their  sufferings  ;  and,  generally,  con 
science  is  quieted  by  a  kind  of  cold  consent,  that  they  may  live 
and  get  to  heaven,  if  they  can  do  it  without  our  agency.  Un 
der  these  circumstances,  it  must  be  expected  that  there  will  be 
but  few  candidates  for  missionary  service  among  the  Indians. 

"  In  bringing  before  the  public  this  periodical,  we  arrogate  no 
privilege,  nor  do  we  assume  a  different  attitude  from  that  which 
we  have  long  sustained.  If  the  course  which  we  have  pursued 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


523 


in  our  missionary  efforts  has  not  been  the  best,  yet  it  has  been 
such  as  conscience  dictated,  and  such  as  our  dearest  friends  in 
missionary  matters  approved.  To  the  work  of  Indian  reform 
we  have  consecrated  the  little  all  we  possess,  of  *  time,  talent, 
and  resources.'  We  have  but  a  piece  of  a  short  life  re 
maining — the  only  life  we  are  to  live  upon  earth ;  the  hand 
which  writes  these  words  must  soon  be  paralyzed.  We  have 
a  '  long  time,'  in  a  manner,  *  holden  our  peace,'  partly  because 
we  knew  that  others  could,  and  hoped  they  would  speak,  while 
we,  being  in  the  missionary  field,  might  perform  labours  which 
they  could  not ;  and  partly  because  the  labours  in  which  we 
were  employed  seemed  not  to  allow  of  time  to  enter  upon  such 
a  work  as  this. 

"The  Indian  territory  is  the  principal  field  for  missionary  la 
bour.  The  propriety  of  colonizing  the  nearer  tribes,  and  of  doing 
it  upon  this  ground,  is  now  generally  admitted.  Here,  under 
some  very  important  changes  of  circumstances,  which  we  think 
encourage  the  hope  of  ultimate  success,  an  experiment  is  to  be 
made  in  Indian  reform.  When  the  effects  of  our  present  ope 
rations  shall  have  been  somewhat  developed,  new  fields  of 
labour  may  be  entered. 

"  The  work  is  issued  gratis,  because  the  price  of  a  small 
pamphlet,  appearing  only  once  a  year,  would  be  too  inconsider 
able  to  be  worth  the  cost  and  trouble  of  collecting. 

"  While  we  have  the  satisfaction  to  believe  that  in  the -publi 
cation  of  this  periodical  we  have  the  hearty  acquiescence,  both 
of  our  missionary  brethren  here  and  of  our  brethren  abroad, 
it  is  proper  to  state,  that  we  alone  are  responsible  for  its  appear 
ance  and  for  its  contents. 

"  As  a  writer,  we  have  no  reputation  to  lose,  nor  are  we  in 
great  trouble  on  account  of  its  being  equally  certain  that  none 
will  be  acquired.  We  write  for  the  benefit  of  more  than  four 
millions  of  our  fellow  beings,  who  are  incapable  of  pleading  for 
themselves,  who  are  perishing  under  evils  to  which  no  other 
people  upon  earth  have  been  exposed,  and  evils  not  at  all  under 
their  control,  but  fully  under  the  control  of  white  men.  They 
are  the  original  inhabitants  of  our  country,  and,  as  such,  have 
peculiar  claims  upon  us.  Their  condition,  depraved  and 
wretched  as  it  may  be,  is  only  what  ours  would  have  been,  had 
we  been  placed  under  similar  circumstances.  The  kind  hand  of 
Providence  has  graciously  made  us  to  differ ;  and  in  this  differ 
ence  is  found  a  solemn  obligation  to  help  them.  In  the  discharge 
of  this  obligation,  we  have,  among  other  things,  undertaken  this 
work  :  intending  to  tell  our  own  story,  and  to  tell  it  in  our  own 


524 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


way  ;  and  that  way  shall  be  such  as  we  believe  will  most  faith 
fully  exhibit  the  facts  of  which  we  treat." 

About  the  1st  of  July,  1837,  the  third  number  of  the  Annual 
Register  of  Indian  Affairs  was  issiTed.  In  this  number  wer  re 
commended  that  measures  should  be  taken  to  ascertain  the 
number  and  condition  of  the  remote  tribes,  of  whom  little  was 
known.  We  have  narratives  of  journeys,  &c.,  among  the 
remote  tribes,  but  few  are  faithful.  Most  of  them  have  been 
written  with  an  air  of  romance,  for  the  sake  of  pleasing  the 
fancy,  and  not  for  the  instruction  of  the  mind.  Much  that  is 
written  is  not  true.  First,  it  is  not  the  design  of  the  writers  of 
some  of  these  works  to  state  the  truth,  but,  to  make  a  book 
that  will  feed  the  imagination  ;  and,  secondly,  few  traverse  those 
regions  who  are  not  engaged  in  the  fur  trade,  and  these  seldom 
have  either  time  or  inclination  to  make  such  observations  as 
would  be  useful  in  the  work  of  Indian  reform.  For  example,  if  we 
desire  to  civilize  the  remote  tribes,  it  is  desirable  to  know  whether 
they  occupy  a  country  favourable  for  the  residence  of  civilized 
man — for  agricultural  pursuits,  for  instance.  Now,  we  have  no 
knowledge  of  a  book  in  existence,  which  would  enable  a  farmer 
in  one  of  our  States  to  form  a  correct  idea  of  the  suitableness 
of  any  country  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains  for  agricultural 
purposes.  The  accounts  of  various  persons,  so  far  as  we  have 
them,  are  discordant  ;  and  even  the  statements  of  individuals, 
in  this  respect,  are  often  contradicted  by  their  own  story.  More 
over,  it  is  important  that  we  contemplate  the  Indians  as  a  whole, 
and  not  as  small  detached  bands,  in  reference  to  which,  the  inter 
est  felt  in  their  improvement  seems  to  be  limited  by  the  paucity 
of  their  numbers. 

With  a  view  of  collecting  such  information  as  it  was  believed 
the  cause  of  Indian  reform  required,  respecting  the  locations, 
numbers,  and  condition  of  the  tribes,  and  the  character  of  the 
countries  they  inhabit,  so  that  the  schemes  of  benevolence  for 
their  improvement  might  be  carried  forward  more  efficiently,  it 
was  proposed  "to  commence  a  series  of  tours,  which  would  pro 
bably  require  several  years  to  complete.  It  was  thought  that 
the  scientific  and  other  information  which  could  be  acquired 
would,  in  its  publication,  ultimately  compensate  the  loss  of  time 
and  money,  though,  at  the  commencement,  considerable  sa 
crifices  would  be  made.  This  design  was  approved  by  several 
respectable  periodicals  and  many  private  correspondents,  and 
two  gentlemen,  well  calculated  for  the  service,  offered  them 
selves,  but  a  sufficient  number  of  competent  persons  have  not 
yet  been  found  to  enter  upon  the  work. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  525 

Mr.  Meeker  had  long  desired  to  be  at  liberty  to  employ  his 
time  wholly  among  the  Ottawas,  a  knowledge  of  whose  lan 
guage  he  had  acquired.  The  arrival  of  Mr.  Pratt,  to  take 
charge  of  the  printing  office,  afforded  an  opportunity  for  grati 
fying  this  desire;  and  he,  with  Mrs.  Meeker,  left  the  Shawanoe 
station,  and  took  up  their  residence  among  the  Ottawas,  in  June, 
1837.  About  the  same  time,  also,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simerwell 
located  among  the  Putawatomies,  within  the  Indian  territory. 
This  was  an  event  to  which  we  had  long  looked  with  deep 
solicitude.  We  considered  this  station  to  be  a  continuation  of 
the  Carey  mission,  transplanted  from  Michigan  to  this  place. 

It  is  a  fact,  in  which  has  originated  many  obstacles  to  the 
securing  of  the  Indians  in  their  possessions  in  the  Indian  terri 
tory,  that  they  who  have  negotiated  treaties  with  them  have 
paid  little  regard  to  giving  permanency  to  their  new  settlements. 
Treaty  stipulations  in  relation  to  the  territory  have  commonly 
been  made  merely  with  a  desire  to  make  an  arrangement  to  re- 
moye  the  Indians  out  of  the  way  of  white  settlements,  and  to 
grant  them  an  abode  only  until  %the  approach  of  white  settle 
ments  shall  require  another  removal. 

Among  other  circumstances  which  were  liable  to  result  in 
injury  to  the  Indians,  by  the  ingress  of  whites  west  of  the  line 
of  demarcation,  was  a  reservation  of  one  hundred  and  forty-three 
thousand  acres  within  the  territory,  made  at  a  treaty  in  1830, 
and  which  land  had  been  provided  for  certain  half-breeds  of  dif 
ferent  tribes.  The  treaty  made  it  necessary  that  the  claimants, 
if  they  required  it,  should  respectively  receive  patents  for  their 
land.  Now,  it  was  feared  that  it  would  turn  out  that  some  of 
these  claimants  were  more  of  white  blood  than  of  Indian,  and 
holding  their  individual  tracts  by  patents,  and  these  tracts  lying 
immediately  adjoining  lands  subject  to  settlement  by  white 
people,  that  white  men  might  be  lawfully  introduced  on  to  them, 
or  that  the  claimants  would  be  authorized  to  sell  their  respective 
claims  to  citizens  of  the  United  States ;  in  either  case,  the  door 
would  be  opened  to  the  ingress  of  a  white  population  into  the 
Indian  territory,  and,  most  likely,  without  the  possibility  of 
again  closing  it.  This  subject  had  been  submitted  to  the  con 
sideration  of  Mr.  Harris,  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs, 
who  had  instructed  me  to  look  to  it — to  ascertain  who  were  the 
proper  claimants,  and  to  decide  whether  it  would  or  would  not 
be  expedient  to  subdivide  the  reservation  among  them,  and  give 
to  each  a  patent. 

I  reported  in  favour  of  marking  the  exterior  boundaries  of 
the  entire  tract,  so  that  it  might  not  embarrass  assignments  of 


526 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


land  to  be  made  to  others;  and  these  surveys  I  caused  to  be 
made,  but  the  subdividing  of  the  land,  and  the  issuing  of  patents, 
I  believed,  would  be  followed  by  the  worst  of  consequences ; 
and,  in  order  to  obviate  all  difficulties  which  attended  the  sub 
ject,  1  recommended  that  measures  be  taken,  without  delay,  to 
extinguish  the  claims  of  the  claimants,  none  of  whom  resided 
on  the  land,  or  ever  expected  to  do  so,  and  very  few  of  whom 
were  within  the  Indian  territory.  This  course  was  adopted,  and 
a  gentleman  was  sent  to  negotiate  for  the  extinguishment  of  the 
claims  of  the  owners.  To  find  them,  and  negotiate  with  each, 
or  with  his  guardian  or  proper  representative,  would  require 
some  labour;  but  as  the  work  had  been  assigned  to  an  agent 
who  was  under  yearly  pay,  and  whose  other  duties  would  not 
hinder  the  discharge  of  these,  it  was  hoped  that  the  matter 
would  speedily  be  adjusted.  But  when  his  report  was  made,  it 
unfortunately  appeared  to  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs 
that  his  purchases  had  not  been  made  of  the  real  owners,  or 
their  legal  representatives,  and  hence  the  negotiations  were  not 
submitted  to  the  Senate  for  ratification.  By  this  means  an" un 
desirable  delay  has  occurred  in  the  settlement  of  this  affair — 
important,  because  the  one  hundred  and  forty-three  thousand 
acres  are  needed  for  emigrants;  and  still  more  so,  because  it  in 
volves  a  principle  in  its  tendency  subversive  of  Indian  interests, 
and  well  calculated  to  render  the  settlements  within  the  Indian 
territory  precarious. 

On  the  16th  of  June,  I  reported  to  the  Department  of  Indian 
Affairs  proposed  locations  for  the  Putawatomies,  Ottawas,* 
United  Putawatomies  and  Chippewas,  New- York  Indians,  Wy- 
andauts,  and  Miamies.  These  selections  were  confirmed  by  the 
Department,  and  surveys  ordered  to  be  made  as  far  as  the  cases 
at  that  time  required.  About  the  same  time,  I  selected  a  site 
for  the  Osage  river  sub-agency,  and  a  valuable  tract  of  about 
seven  miles  square,  in  a  central  portion  of  the  territory,  for  the 
seat  of  government,  which  tract  1  caused  to  be  immediately 
surveyed. 

It  had  been  supposed  to  be  a  necessary  measure  to  bring  to 
the  consideration  of  the  respective  tribes  the  bill  which,  for  seve 
ral  years,  had,  in  some  shape,  been  before  Congress,  for  the 
organization  of  the  Indian  territory.  Hence,  the  Department 
of  Indian  Affairs  had  been  induced  to  instruct  me  to  perform 
this  duty.  The  first  council  on  this  subject  was  among  the 

*  A  wiiall  band  of  Ottawas  had  received  an  assignment  of  land,  which  I 
had  caused  to  be  surveyed  in  1832.  None,  of  the  other  tribes  referred  to  Jiad 
yet  entered  the  country  designed  for  them. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


527 


Delawares,  on  the  28th  of  June,  1837.  The  languages  of  In 
dian  tribes  do  not  embrace  a  word  which  properly  means  law, 
because  they  have  ever  been  destitute  of  laws.  It  may,  there 
fore,  easily  be  conceived  that  the  technicality  which  would 
necessarily  be  attached  to  a  law  of  Congress,  of  seven  or  eight 
sections,  could  not  fully  be  understood,  without  presenting  the 
substance  in  a  form  better  suited  to  the  Indians'  modes  of  think 
ing.  In  order  to  bring  the  subject  fairly  before  them,  such  a 
form  as  the  case  called  for  was  prepared,  and  accompanied  the 
bill  itself.  The  substance  of  this  condensed  document,  though 
written  somewhat  in  detail,  may  be  inferred  from  the  following 
response  of  the  Indians,  showing  in  what  manner  they  under 
stood  it : 

"  C.  A.  HARRIS,  ESQ,., 

"  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs. 

"Sin:  We,  the  undersigned,  chiefs  and  headmen  of .  .  .  .  , 
met  in  council,  have  heard  read  to  us,  by  Isaac  McCoy,  a  paper 
which  you  had  sent  h-irn,  and  which  has  been  under  considera 
tion  in  Congress,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indian  tribes  within  this 
western  country,  to  which,  through  the  same  person,  we  now 
return  our  answer,  which  we  request  you  to  lay  before  Congress. 

"  The  substance  of  the  paper  to  which  we  allude,  we  under 
stand  to  be  as  follows,  viz : 

"  1st.  The  country  between  the  Puncah  and  Red  rivers, 
and  southwest  of  Missouri  river,  and  west  of  the  States  of  Mis 
souri  and  Arkansas,  to  the  distance  of  two  or  three  hundred 
miles,  is  to  be  set  apart  exclusively  for  the  use  of  Indians, 
excepting  the  amount  necessary  for  military  posts,  roads,  and 
public  highways,  and  for  the  residence  of  such  persons  as  may 
be  allowed  to  reside  in  the  Indian  country,  by  the  laws  regula 
ting  intercourse  with  the  Indian  tribes ;  and  that  the  lands 
granted  to  the  tribes,  severally,  shall  be  secured  to  them  by 
patents  from  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  under  such 
restrictions  as  shall  secure  the  lands  from  becoming  the  property 
of  an  adjoining  State  or  Territory,  or  of  either  individuals  or 
companies  of  white  persons. 

"  2d.  The  superintendent  of  the  Indian  district  shall  call  into 
general  council,  once  a  year,  or  oftener,  a  prescribed  number  of 
chiefs  or  principal  men,  appointed  by  their  respective  tribes,  ac 
cording  to  directions  given  them.  That  in  this  council  the 
tribes,  by  their  representatives,  shall  unite  for  purposes  of  peace 
and  friendship,  and  shall  make  such  regulations  for  the  benefit 
of  the  confederacy  as  may,  from  time  to  time,  appear  necessary ; 


528 


HISTORY    OK    BAPTIST 


the  said  regulations  to  be  submitted  to  the  consideration  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  not  to  take  effect  until  ap 
proved  by  him.  That  all  tribes  within  the  territory  be  at  liberty 
to  join  the  confederacy,  and  that  none  be  required  to  do  it  with 
out  its  consent;  and  that  each  tribe  may  make  its  own  internal 
regulations,  consistently  with  those  of  a  general  nature. 

"  3d.  That  the  confederation  shall  send  an  Indian  as  its  dele- 
gale  to  Washington,  to  remain  there  during  each  session  of 
Congress,  to  attend  to  such  matters  as  the  interests  of  the  con 
federation  or  of  the  tribes,  and  individuals,  severally  require, 
whose  pay  and  emoluments  shall  be  equal  to  those  of  a  member 
of  Congress. 

"  With  the  foregoing  propositions  we  are  well  pleased,  and 
we  do  earnestly  request  the  President  and  Congress  of  the 
United  States  to  carry  them  into  effect  as  soon  as  practicable." 

This  subject  was  brought  to  the  consideration  of  the  Dela- 
wares,  Shawanoes,  Kickapoos,  Putawatomies,  Kauzaus,  Sauks, 
loways,  Weas,  Piankashas,  Peorias  and  Kaskaskias,  and  Otta- 
was,  respectively,  and  a  similar  response  obtained  from  each, 
addressed  to  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs,  in  the  form  of  a 
petition  that  the  plan  should  be  carried  out. 

At  the  councils  held  for  the  above  objects,  tobacco  was  freely 
distributed.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  in  council  is  to  place 
the  tobacco  on  the  floor,  in  the  centre.  During  the  council, 
any  one  uses  it  that  chooses;  and  at  the  close  they  appoint  a 
man  to  divide  it,  so  that  each  may  obtain  a  piece. 

Every  tribe,  excepting  the  Kauzaus,  seemed  to  attach  very 
much  importance  to  the  subject,  and  seriously  considered  it. 
The  Shawanoes,  after  the  matter  was  presented  to  them  on  the 
first  day,  remained  in  council  among  themselves,  deliberating  on 
the  measure,  all  the  succeeding  night.  This  series  of  councils 
furnished  an  exemplification  of  what  has  been  remarked  in  an 
other  place — that  little  difficulty  would  attend  the  transaction  of 
business  with  Indians,  when  it  is  designed  to  do  them  justice, 
were  it  not  for  mischievous  white  men  who  are  always  found 
hovering  around  them,  so  that  it  may  properly  be  said  that  it  is 
the  management  of  those  white  men  that  occasions  difficulty  in 
Indian  negotiations.  I  endeavoured  to  obtain  a  council  of  the 
Delawares  and  of  the  Shawanoes,  before  the  matter  had  become 
so  notorious  as  to  afford  an  opportunity  for  the  intrusion  of  mis 
representations  by  white  men.  In  this  I  was  successful  among 
the  Delawares,  and  with  them  there  were  no  scruples  respecting 
the  propriety  of  the  measures  proposed  ;  but  before  a  second 
council  could  be  convened,  which  took  place  among  the  Shawa- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  529 

noes,  that  tribe  had  been  told  that  my  object  was  to  purchase 
their  country  from  them,  and  to  propose  their  removal.  They 
came  into  council  expecting  to  hear  me  make  propositions  to 
extinguish  their  claims  to  the  country  they  inhabited.  When, 
therefore,  they  heard  propositions  precisely  the  reverse,  and  it 
was  explained  to  them  to  be  a  measure  necessary  to  their  future 
security  and  prosperity,  they  were  astonished,  and  it  was  thir 
teen  days  afterwards  before  they  gave  me  an  answer,  within 
which  time  they  had  been  in  council  four  different  times.  Hav 
ing  satisfied  themselves  that  the  reports  they  had  heard  respect 
ing  the  design  of  the  plans  of  the  Government  were  erroneous, 
they  sent  a  messenger  to  inform  me  that  they  were  ready  to 
meet  me  in  their  council  house  and  deliver  their  answer,  and 
requested  me  at  the  same  time  to  bring  to  the  council  a  pretty 
liberal  present  of  eatables.  I  returned  answer,  that  although  I 
was  delivering  to  them  a  talk  from  the  President,  I  had  no  pre 
sents  to  make,  because  they  were  not  required  to  yield  any 
thing;  the  propositions  were  for  their  benefit,  without  asking 
them  to  relinquish  any  thing ;  nevertheless,  I  would  afford  them 
an  opportunity  of  smoking  freely. 

Almost  all  white  men  who  mingle  with  the  Indians,  in  the 
Indian  country,  are  opposed  to  the  plan  of  organizing  an  Indian 
territory,  and  of  rendering  the  Indians  secure  in  their  possessions. 
First,  there  are  white  men  married  to  Indian  women,  who  iden 
tify  themselves  with  the  Indians  as  much  as  possible,  and  are 
permitted  to  remain  in  the  Indian  country.  Those  who  have 
preferred  savage  to  civilized  society  do  not  desire  the  improve 
ment  of  the  former.  Secondly,  traders  can  make  more  profit 
able  speculations  on  poor,  ignorant,  suffering  Indians,  oppressed 
beneath  their  wants  and  woes,  than  upon  a  people  in  more  com 
fortable  circumstances ;  and  hence  they  prefer  the  present  con 
dition  of  the  Indians  to  one  improved.  And,  thirdly,  the  agents 
employed  by  the  Government  easily  perceive,  that  by  the  im 
provement  of  the  condition  of  the  Indians  they  will  become  capa 
ble  of  managing  their  own  matters,  and  that  the  necessity  for 
agents  will  vanish.  None,  in  either  of  the  three  classes,  would  ven 
ture  upon  open  opposition  to  Government,  which  would  afford 
a  tangible  ground  of  complaint,  and  might  occasion  their  removal 
from  the  Indian  country.  Nevertheless,  there  are  a  thousand 
ways  in  which  these  men  can  keep  an  influence  continually  bear 
ing  upon  the  Indians,  dampening,  in  its  tendency,  to  all  improve 
ment.  In  reference  to  the  measures  under  consideration,  I  am 
acquainted  with  few  exceptions  among  the  traders  and  agents. 

Most  of  the  tribes  have  each  a  council  house.     That  of  the 
67 


580  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

Shawanoes  is  a  hewn  log  building,  erected  by  themselves,  about 
thirty  feet  wide  and  eighty  feet  long,  and  one  story  high.  It  con 
tains  one  apartment  only,  without  either  upper  or  under  floor. 
There  is  a  door  in  each  end,  but  no  window,  excepting  three 
small  holes  on  each  side,  about  as  high  as  a  man's  head  when 
seated,  resembling  the  apertures  for  the  use  of  small-arms  in  a 
block-house.  Openings  in  the  roof  allow  the  smoke  of  the  fires 
on  the  earth,  in  the  centre,  to  escape.  The  roof  is  a  kind  of 
very  ordinary  shingling  with  boards.  The  only  seat  is  a  con 
tinuation  of  hewn  logs,  laid  along  the  walls.  The  sides  of  the 
building  are  kept  in  place  by  cross  beams,  resting  upon  two  rows 
of  wooden  pillars.  On  one  side  of  one  of  the  pillars,  nearest  one 
of  the  doors,  is  carved  in  relievo  the  figure  of  a  rattlesnake,  about 
five  feet  long ;  and  on  the  other  side,  the  likeness  of  a  snake, 
without  the  rattle.  On  two  opposite  sides  of  one  of  the  pillars, 
nearest  the  other  door,  are  carved,  in  relievo  also,  uncouth 
resemblances  of  the  human  face,  somewhat  larger  than  life,  par 
tially  painted,  and  with  a  twist  of  tobacco  tied  to  the  pillar,  cross 
ing  immediately  above  each  figure.  On  each  of  two  opposite 
sides  of  a  pillar,  in  the  interior,  is  carved,  as  above,  the  figure  of 
a  turtle,  coloured,  so  as  to  increase  its  resemblance  to  the  living 
animal.  Metal  is  inserted  for  eyes;  from  which,  on  the  late 
occasion,  I  discovered  a  person  wiping  the  dust,  and  increasing 
their  brilliancy  by  rubbing. 

The  Delawares  had  lately  taken  two  scalps  from  some  re 
moter  tribes,  with  whom  they  ought  to  have  remained  at  peace, 
and  the  Shawanoes,  being  their  allies,  were  presented  with  one 
of  them.  This  was  brought  into  the  council  by  the  principal 
war  chief,  suspended  to  the  end  of  a  wooden  rod,  about  five  feet 
in  length,  and  which  was  stuck  into  the  wall,  and  projected  so 
as  to  render  the  scalp  conspicuous.  Both  the  rod  and  the  scalp 
were  stained  with  red  paint,  the  emblem  of  blood. 

Mr.  Curtis,  who  had  left  the  Shawanoe  station  in  the  autumn 
of  1836,  wkh  the  view  of  establishing  a  mission  among  the  Oma- 
has,  had  stopped  and  spent  the  winter  at  Mr.  Merrill's  station, 
among  the  Otoes.  By  this  indiscreet  course  the  time  had  all 
been  lost — he  having  in  that  place  no  opportunity  of  studying 
the  Omaha  language,  or  of  forming  an  acquaintance  with  them  ; 
and,  moreover,  his  salary  from  Government,  as  teacher,  would 
not  be  allowed  until  he  actually  commenced  his  labours  among 
the  tribe.  His  delay,  therefore,  had  unnecessarily  occasioned 
expense  to  the  board  for  his  support  during  the  time.  On  the 
21st  of  May,  1837,  he  arrived  at  our  place,  ostensibly  with  the 
design  of  employing  workmen  to  erect  the  requisite  buildings 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


531 


for  his  station.  He  spent  more  than  two  months  in  our  neigh 
bourhood  ;  within  which  time  it  was  plainly  perceived  that  he 
was  disinclined  to  go  to  the  Oinahas,  and  would  prefer  a  loca 
tion  among  the  Delawares.  Mr.  Lykins  was  superintendent  of 
affairs  among  the  Delawares,  and  united  with  some  others  in  be 
lieving  that  it  would  be  better  for  Mr.  Curtis  to  adhere  to  the 
original  design  of  locating  among  the  Omahas,  and  encouraged 
him  to  do  so.  The  board  had  placed  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Ly 
kins  money  for  the  erection  of  buildings  for  the  Omaha  station, 
and  he  employed  workmen,  &,c,,  and  Mr.  Curtis  was  prevailed 
upon  to  set  off  again,  with  the  view  of  making  the  location. 

Prospects  were  such  as  promised  a  pleasant  reward  to  discreet 
missionary  labours  among  that  rude  people.  The  favour  of  the 
Government  had  been  secured,  and  the  appropriation  of  the 
board,  to  meet  the  expenses  of  commencing  the  station,  was 
liberal.  We  had  commenced  the  preliminaries  for  the  formation 
of  a  station  there  in  1830.  One,  whom  both  the  board  and  the 
Government  had  approved,  had  disappointed  us  by  afterwards 
declining  to  enter  upon  missionary  labours,  and  we  should  have 
been  exceedingly  mortified  to  have  experienced  an  entire  failure 
in  the  present  case. 

The  poor  Putawatomies,  in  whose  welfare  we  felt  the  deep 
er  interest,  on  account  of  some  of  us  having  laboured  among 
them  several  years,  seemed  destined  to  feel  the  consequences  of 
a  bad  management  of  their  affairs.  Dr.  James  was  appointed 
sub-agent  for  a  band  which  some  were  endeavouring  to  take  to 
a  country  high  up  Missouri.  They  had  been  encamped  about 
a  year  near  Fort  Leavenworth,  in  charge  of  A.  L.  Davis,  Esq. 
He  had,  by  a  recent  order,  been  directed  to  the  site  chosen  for 
him  on  the  Osage  river,  and  was  likely  to  take  all  or  nearly  all 
the  Putawatomies  with  him  to  the  home  provided  for  them  per 
manently.  But  the  appointment  of  Dr.  James  turned  the  cur 
rent  of  their  wishes.  He  was  entreated  by  us  to  use  his  influ 
ence  to  induce  the  Putawatomies  to  locate  in  a  place  from 
which,  it  was  believed,  they  would  not  have  occasion  to  remove. 
But  he  had  resolved  on  taking  as  many  of  them  as  possible  up 
the  Missouri.  Nobody  pretended  to  think  that  they  would  be 
allowed  to  remain  there ;  but  the  agent  argued  that  they  could 
not  find  any  place  from  which  they  would  not  be  forced  by 
white  men.  He  was  a  pious,  good  man  ;  but,  like  many  others, 
had  concluded  that  the  Indians  would  inevitably  perish,  and 
therefore  their  sympathies  extended  no  further  than  to  the  alle 
viation  of  [\\epains  of  dying,  and  to  the  erection  of  tombstones 


532  HISTORY   OF  BAPTIST 

or  monuments  to  their  memory.  He  supposed  that  the  idea  oi' 
giving  a  permanent  home,  civil  institutions,  &tc.,  to  Indian  tribes, 
was  chimerical.  He  found  about  the  Putawatomies  a  class  of  men 
ready  to  concur  with  him  in  his  views,  though  actuated  by  very 
different  motives.  Large  annuities  were  provided  for  the  Puta 
watomies,  and  a  large  amount  for  improvements  in  farms,  smith- 
eries,  &c.,  and  for  schools;  and  it  was  desirable  to  those  men 
to  get  the  Putawatomies  located  in  that  remote  place ;  and  while 
they  remained  there,  in  their  uncultivated  condition,  their  annu 
ities  could  be  easily  secured.  They  had  a  scheme  on  hand, 
also,  by  which  they  hoped  to  monopolize  their  trade,  and  when 
the  time  should  come  for  Government  to  remove  them,  (having 
made  some  landed  improvements,  which  must  be  abandoned,)  a 
large  amount  of  money  would  again  be  involved  in  the  stipulations 
of  the  treaty,  of  which  these  hungry  parasites  expected  a  boun 
tiful  portion. 

Notwithstanding  the  views  of  their  agent,  the  Putawatomies 
hesitated  to  go  up  the  Missouri ;  but,  to  accomplish  the  purposes 
of  those  who  expected  to  enrich  themselves  by  the  measure,  (in 
which  designs  it  is  not  believed  that  the  agent  participated,)  a 
report  was  put  in  circulation  that  the  Putawatomies  designed  to 
make  war  upon  the  neighbouring  whites.  Never  was  there  an 
attempt  made  to  propagate  a  more  unreasonable  alarm.  There 
were  about  a  thousand  Putawatomies,  including  men,  women, 
and  children,  living^in  camp,  and  receiving  daily  rations  of  food 
from  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  and  destitute  of 
means  to  enable  them  to  make  war.  Fort  Leavenworth  was 
seven  or  eight  miles  to  the  west  of  them,  and  they  were 
completely  surrounded  by  a  white  population.  Under  these 
circumstances  it  would  seem  impossible  for  any  man  in  his  senses 
to  believe  that  they  were  about  to  make  war  upon  their  white 
neighbours. 

The  protection  of  the  frontier  was  in  charge  of  General 
Gaines.  He,  without  waiting  for  orders  from  Washington, 
gathered  the  Putawatomies  together,  and  conveyed  them  up  the 
Missouri  to  the  place  contemplated.  This  removal  occurred 
between  the  20th  and  last  of  July,  1837.  It  appeared  that  the 
Department  of  Indian  Affairs  had  not  anticipated  this  removal 
at  that  time,  for,  on  the  21st  of  July,  the  Commissioner  of  In 
dian  Affairs,  Mr.  Harris,  wrote  General  Atkinson,  assigning 
to  him  the  matter  of  removal,  and  enjoining  on  him  to  endea 
vour  to  get  their  consent  to  go  to  the  country  set  apart  for  them, 
within  the  Indian  territory.  Unfortunately,  the  Indians  had 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


533 


been  taken  up  the  Missouri  before  these  orders  came  to  hand. 
A  copy  of  the  instructions  to  General  Atkinson  was  forwarded 
to  me,  for  the  purposes  mentioned  in  the  following  letter : 

"  War  Department,  Office  of  Indian  Affairs,  July  21, 1837. 

"SiR:  I  enclose,  for  your  information  and  government,  the 
copy  of  a  letter  to  General  Atkinson,  of  this  date,  from  which 
you  will  learn  the  views  of  the  Executive  in  relation  to  various 
matters  connected  with  the  removal  and  location  of  the  Puta- 
watomie  Indians  ;  and  I  have  to  request  that  you  will  co-operate 
with  the  other  officers  of  the  Government  in  forwarding  them 
by  all  proper  means. 

"  Very  respectfully,  &ic., 

"C.  A.  HARRIS,  Commissioner. 
"  Rev.  ISAAC  McCoY,  Westportj  Missouri." 

The  Putawatomie  tribe  had  now  become  divided.  Mr.  Davis, 
the  agent  for  those  within  the  territory,  with  Mr.  Lykins  tem 
porarily  appointed  to  assist  him,  was  collecting  as  many  as  he 
could  within  his  agency,  which  embraced,  also,  several  other 
tribes.  Those  in  favour  of  their  locating  on  the  Missouri  were 
vigilant,  and,  having  no  consciences  to  embarrass  them,  reported 
to  the  Putawatomies,  who  had  not  yet  decided  at  which  place 
they  would  settle,  that  the  Government  desired  all  to  go  up  the 
Missouri.  Emigrants  from  Michigan  and  Indiana  were  still 
arriving,  and  some  pains  were  taken  by  us,  and  not  without  suc 
cess,  to  let  them  know  the  nature  of  the  instructions  to  Gen.  At 
kinson  and  others,  which  had  emanated  from  the  Department  of 
Indian  Affairs,  on  that  subject.  Soon  after  this,  the  sub-agent 
for  the  Missouri  Putawatomies  was  transferred  to  the  Osages, 
and  it  is  possible  that  the  views  he  had  taken  of  Putawatomie 
affairs  contributed  not  a  little  to  this  change  of  place. 

From  the  3d  to  the  15th  of  August  I  was  in  the  wilderness 
and  at  Indian  villages,  locating  the  settlements  of  the  Sauks  and 
lowas,  in  which  I  was  assisted  by  my  son,  and  in  holding  coun 
cils  with  them,  and  with  the  Kickapoos  and  Putawatomies. 

In  passing  the  burial  ground  of  the  lowas,  it  was  singular  to 
see  most  of  the  corpses  resting  upon  platforms  constructed  on 
forked  stakes  four  or  five  feet  high.  Each  one  was  encased  in 
a  temporary  coffin,  made  of  the  bark  of  a  tree,  or  by  the  exca 
vation  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  or  by  split  timbers  clumsily  fas 
tened  around  it.  The  ground  was  a  prominent  elevation,  a 
fourth  of  a  mile  from  the  village.  I  attempted  to  approach  it, 
but  found  it  too  offensive  to  admit  of  a  careful  examination. 
We  sometimes  find  the  dead  deposited  in  this  manner  among 


534 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


other  tribes,  but  the  cases  are  rare.  Here  it  appeared  to  be  the 
common  mode  of  disposing  of  the  dead. 

On  returning  from  this  tour,  I  spent  a  Sabbath  at  the  Dela 
ware  station.  Pretty  early  in  the  morning  I  found  a  young 
Delaware  in  the  house  of  worship,  studying  the  new  system  of 
reading.  He  understood  very  little  English,  and  until  a  few 
days  before,  had  no  knowledge  of  letters.  Mr.  Blanchard  in 
formed  me  that  this  was  only  the  fourth  time  he  had  called  to 
spend  a  few  hours  in  receiving  instruction,  and  he  was  now 
reading  slowly,  and  was  able  to  join  us  in  singing  hymns  in  the 
Delaware  language.  We  regret  that  these  striking  instances  of 
the  facility  with  which  the  natives  learn  to  read  their  own  lan 
guage  should  receive  so  little  attention.  It  is  probable  that 
upon  the  principles  of  orthography  this  young  man  would  never 
have  exercised  patience  to  learn  to  read. 

Between  the  15th  and  20th  of  August,  I  held  councils  with 
the  Ottawas,  Peorias  and  Kaskaskias,  and  Weas  and  Pianka- 
shas.  On  the  27th,  a  Delaware  was  baptized,  and  also  a  white 
woman  who  resided  at  the  Delaware  station. 

From  the  28th  of  August  to  the  6th  of  September,  assisted 
by  my  son,  I  was  in  the  wilderness  for  the  purpose  of  showing 
delegations  of  Chippewas  and  Ottawas,  from  Saganaw,  and 
from  Swan  creek  and  Black  river,  between  Detroit  and  Lake 
Huron,  the  lands  that  had  been  set  apart  for  them  in  this  coun 
try,  and  for  the  purpose  of  pointing  out  to  the  Putavvatomies 
the  place  for  their  settlements. 

The  annual  report  of  Mr.  Davis,  agent  for  the  Putavvato 
mies  and  several  other  tribes,  for  September  of  this  year,  recom 
mended  to  the  favourable  consideration  of  the  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs  the  new  system  of  writing.  This  was  the  first 
official  notice  taken  of  the  system  by  an  officer  of  the  Govern 
ment. 

September  19th,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Schermerhorn  arrived,  with 
a  delegation  of  eighteen  of  the  New- York  Indians,  some  of 
whom,  however,  had  resided  some  time  near  Green  Bay,  in 
Michigan.  They  came  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  coun 
try  set  apart  for  them.  On  account  of  other  duties  which 
could  not  be  postponed,  I  could  not  accompany  them,  but  the 
country  was  pointed  out  to  them  on  the  map,  and  a  sketch  fur 
nished  them,  with  such  other  information  as  would  enable  them 
to  find  their  country. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


535 


Mission  to  the  Osages.  Their  deplorable  condition.  Ordina 
tion.  Death  of  a  female  missionary.  Journey  to  Washing- 
ton.  Bill  for  the  organization  of  the  Indian  territory  passed 
by  the  Senate.  Baptist  Convention.  Death.  Superstition  of 
the  Chippewas.  General  council  among  the  Cherokees. 
Expedition  to  Florida.  Journey  to  the  Putawatomies.  In 
dian  bill  laid  before  the  southern  tribes.  Improved,  condi 
tion  of  the  Choctaivs.  Delawares  desire  laws.  Patent  to 
the  Cherokees. 

The  Osages  had  been  much  neglected  by  the  Government, 
and  by  all  interested  in  Indian  affairs,  and  greatly  imposed  upon 
by  traders  ;  by  the  missionaries  who  had  laboured  for  them  they 
had  been  abandoned,  and  never  was  a  tribe  of  Indians  in  a  con 
dition  more  deplorable.  When,  according  to  custom,  they 
went  on  their  buffalo  hunts,  they  were  compelled  to  penetrate 
so  far  into  the  vast  prairies  before  they  found  game,  that  they 
were  in  danger  of  war  parties  of  remote  tribes,  and  the  distance 
was  so  great  that  little  meat  could  be  brought  home  for  use  in 
their  villages.  They  had  not  become  agriculturists  excepting 
so  far  as  to  cultivate  the  small  patches  of  vegetables  usually  cul 
tivated  even  by  uncivilized  Indians;  and  they  kept  neither  cattle, 
sheep,  swine,  nor  fowls,  for  domestic  uses.  They  had  stipu 
lated,  in  a  treaty  in  1825,  for  agriculturists  to  aid  them  in  the 
transition  from  the  hunting  to  the  agricultural  state.  These 
men  had  rendered  them  no  service,  and  were  no  longer  in  their 
country,  and  the  traders  who  desired  to  enrich  themselves  by 
furs  and  peltries,  and  to  do  it  with  the  advantages  which  the 
ignorance  of  savageism  afforded,  wished  the  nation  to  continue 
to  follow  the  chase,  and  discouraged  the  least  intimation  of  im 
provement.  They  had  also  stipulated  for  a  smithery,  but  this 
had  been  withdrawn.  Their  annuities,  seven  thousand  dollars, 
were  not  paid  them  in  money,  to  be  expended  at  their  option. 
A  few  traders  had  acquired  such  an  ascendancy  over  them  and 
their  affairs,  that  they  advanced  to  them  the  amount  of  the 
annuity  in  goods,  powder,  lead,  &c.,  and  when  the  money  ar 
rived  they  took  possession  of  it.  The  Indians  knew  little  of 
the  prices  of  the  articles  that  were  furnished  them,  and  were 
wholly  incompetent  to  take  account  of  them,  or  to  keep  or  cal 
culate  accounts  in  relation  to  them.  The  matter  was  wholly 
under  the  control  of  the  traders,  who  gave  them  as  much  or  as 


536  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

little  as  they  pleased  for  the  annuity,  and  for  their  peltries  and 
furs.  They  were  reduced  to  protracted  sufferings  under  the 
pressure  of  extreme  poverty,  the  burden  of  which  increased 
with  each  successive  year,  while  they  were  incapable  of  fore 
seeing  the  end  of  their  wretchedness  ;  and  without  a  friend, 
either  among  the  white  or  red  men,  whose  sympathies  they 
could  share,  and  from  whom  they  could  hear  a  consoling  word, 
or  receive  profitable  advice.  If  anxieties,  bordering  t>n  despair, 
or  pinching  want,  induced  them  to  seek  either  the  countenance 
or  the  helping  hand  of  a  friend  among  neighbouring  tribes,  either 
on  their  north  or  south,  they  were  repulsed  as  troublesome  visi 
tants  ;  and  if  they  entered  the  sparse  white  settlements  within 
the  State  of  Missouri  or  Arkansas,  in  quest  of  food,  where,  from 
time  immemorial,  they  had  been  accustomed  to  take  the  quad 
ruped  and  fowl,  they  were  flogged  and  forced  away. 

They  who  had  monopolized  most  of  the  profits  of  trade 
among  them,  for  thirty  or  forty  years,  had  fostered  an  impression 
in  the  United  States,  generally,  among  such  as  had  heard  of  the 
Osage  Indians,  that  they  were  an  uncommonly  savage,  warlike 
race,  among  whom  it  was  dangerous  fora  white  man's  face  to  be 
seen,  and  who,  of  all  the  Indian  tribes,  were  the  most  unmanage 
able  people.  On  rny  first  acquaintance  with  them,  at  their 
towns,  which  was  in  1828,  I  was  astonished  to  find  them  the 
reverse  of  what  reports  had  represented  them  to  be.  I  disco 
vered  that  they  were  a  poor,  degraded,  servile  people,  easily 
managed,  and  who  had  been  much  abused  by  the  superiority  of 
unprincipled  white  men.  From  that  time  I  believed  the  calls 
of  benevolence  were  loud  in  their  favour,  and  the  prospects  for 
successful  missionary  effort  among  them  uncommonly  auspi 
cious.  Subsequently,  the  Presbyterians  abandoned  their  mis 
sions  among  them,  and  we  resolved  to  embrace  the  earliest  op 
portunity  of  establishing  a  mission  there. 

In  a  number  of  the  Annual  Register  of  Indian  Affairs  some 
thing  had  been  said  respecting  the  friendless  and  deplorable  con 
dition  of  these  people,  and  the  desire  to  extend  to  them  the 
benefits  of  a  mission.  This  brief  statement  reached  Miss  Mar 
tha  Shields  and  her  sisters,  Mrs.  Bouldin  and  Miss  S.  Shields, 
of  the  State  of  Delaware,  who  had  long  been  liberal  in  the  pro 
motion  of  Indian  missions,  and  who  instantly  resolved  to  make 
a  contribution,  to  be  applied  to  the  establishment  of  a  mission 
for  this  suffering  tribe  as  soon  as  possible.  Fifty-five  dollars 
accompanied  their  request  that  a  mission  should  be  commenced, 
with  assurances,  which,  coming  from  them,  could  not  be  doubted, 
that  other  sums  would  follow. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


537 


Mr.  Lykins  was  made  the  principal  almoner  in  this  case.  He 
employed  Job  Skigget,  a  Delaware  youth,  who,  in  obtaining  an 
English  education  at  the  Harmony  (Presbyterian)  mission,  had 
acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  Osage  language,  and  who  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  aid  him  in  compiling  a 
small  book  in  the  Osage 'language,  upon  the  new  system.  This 
young  man  had  been  educated  among  a  people  who  had  aban 
doned  as  hopeless  their  missions  which  had  been  undertaken  for 
the  Osages,  and  had  very  naturally  imbibed  similar  sentiments ; 
but  he  was  the  only  available  person  through  whom  we  could, 
at  that  time,  hope  to  make  a  beginning.  He  was  hired,  at  the 
rate  of  fifteen  dollars  a  month,  to  labour  under  our  direction. 
On  the  llth  of  October,  1837,  I  set  out  on  a  journey  which 
would  lead  me  three  or  four  hundred  miles  from  home,  for  the 
purpose  of  submitting  to  the  consideration  of  the  Cherokees, 
Choctaws,  Creeks,  and  some  other  tribes  in  the  South,  the  plan 
for  the  organization  of  the  Indian  territory.  1  took  Job  with 
me,  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  him  among  the  Osages,  with 
some  of  the  small  Osage  books  in  his  hands ;  hoping  that  he 
could  introduce  reading  among  them,  and.  as  opportunity  would 
offer,  give  them  some  religious  instruction,  and  that  by  this 
means  the  way  would  be  preparing  for  the  prosecution  of  more 
systematic  and  efficient  efforts,  as  soon  as  we  could  obtain  mis 
sionaries. 

We  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  Osage  villages  at  a  time  when 
a  cloud  of  difficulties  and  distresses,  uncommonly  dark,  was 
gathering  around  these  wretched  people.  They  were  in  a  state  of 
almost  actual  starvation,  and,  impelled  by  hunger,  many  of  them 
had  come  into  the  settlements  of  the  whites,  and  killed  some  of 
their  cattle  and  hogs ;  and  in  order  to  expel  them,  five  hundred 
citizens  of  Missouri  had  t>een  embodied. 

These  difficulties  closed  the  door,  for  the  present,  to  the  set 
tlement  of  Skigget  immediately  within  their  villages.  The  Qua- 
paw  tribe,  residing  next  neighbour  to  the  Osage,  was  a  branch 
of  the  latter ;  and,  unwilling  to  be  thwarted  in  a  design  like  the 
present,  I  found  a  place  for  him  within  that  tribe,  in  the  house 
of  S.  B.  Bright,  Esq.,  who  was  in  the  employment  of  Govern 
ment,  and  was  a  worthy  Christian,  of  the  Presbyterian  order. 
I  was  detained  in  the  South  a  few  weeks,  and  had  hoped,  on 
my  return,  to  take  hirn  to  a  more  eligible  place,  in  refer 
ence  to  his  future  usefulness ;  but  by  this  time  he  had  drunk  so 
deeply  of  the  common  feeling  of  despair,  relative  to  the  success 
of  benevolent  efforts  for  this  friendless  people,  that  he  could  not 
be  induced  to  continue  his  labours. 
68 


538  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

The  white  citizens  on  the  frontiers  united  in  endeavouring  to 
prevent  the  ingress  of  small  hunting  parties  of  Osages,  accompa 
nied  by  women  and  children.  Hunger,  which  emboldens  the 
most  timicl  animals  of  the  forest,  produced  a  similar  effect  upon 
these  wretched  people.  They  continued  to  come  occasionally 
within  the  line  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  the  frontier  citizens 
requested  the  assistance  of  the  State  authorities  to  repel  them. 
Some  of  the  Indians  had  already  been  severely  whipped,  their 
guns  broken,  and  they  driven  from  their  camps.  The  army  of 
five  hundred  militia  was  scouring  the  line  between  the  whites 
and  Indians  while  I  was  making  this  tour.  They  found  in  divers 
places,  within  the  State  of  Missouri,  some  eighty  or  ninety 
Osages,  consisting  of  men,  women,  and  children.  These  were 
conducted  across  the  line,  and  the  men  severely  flogged.  I  was 
deeply  affected  with  the  sight  of  some  fifteen  or  twenty  of  these 
wretched  people,  who  were  peaceably  hovering  about  some  set 
tlements  of  whke  people,  begging  for  something  to  keep  the  soul 
and  the  body  together,  at  a  time  when,  without  their  knowledge, 
they  who  were  "  hunting  them  like  partridges  "  were  within  two 
miles  of  them  ;  and  I  could  not  but  be  astonished  at  the  hardness 
of  the  heart  that  could  force  from  the  scanty  means  of  subsist 
ence  to  be  obtained  from  charity,  and  the  spontaneous  produc 
tions  of  nature,  these  hungry  mothers  and  hungry  children,  of 
squalid  aspect,  and  beat  the  husband  and  the  father  for  the  crime 
of  endeavouring  to  keep  them  from  actual  starvation  !  Once, 
in  passing  an  encampment  of  these  suffering  people,  I  exclaim 
ed,  O,  that  I  had  bread  to  give  them !  for  which  I  was  sharply 
rebuked  by  a  fellow-traveller,  who  had  been  a  missionary  to  a 
southern  tribe  of  Indians.  His  argument  was,  that  these  people 
had  neglected  the  offers  of  kindness  of  the  missionaries  who  had 
been  among  them,  and  that  favours  shown  them  would  be  abused, 
and  would  only  protract  their  suffering  and  their  sinning ! 

Before  the  army  came  into  the  country,  I  had  visited  some  of 
the  citizens,  to  whom  the  Osages  appeared  most  obnoxious,  and 
endeavoured  to  prevail  on  them  to  forbear  further  force,  until 
,  Government  could  be  properly  informed  of  their  condition,  and 
entreated  to  improve  it.  In  these  unsuccessful  efforts  I  was 
joined  by  a  pious  travelling  companion,  Dr.  J.  A.  Chute,  of  the 
Congregationalists. 

I  lost  no  time  in  reporting  to  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Af 
fairs,  Mr.  Harris,  the  miserable  condition  of  the  Osages,  and  in 
recommending  immediate  measures  for  their  relief.  The  sub 
ject  was  acted  upon  with  a  promptitude  which  did  credit  to  the 
Department  of  Indian  Affairs  and  to  the  Congress  of  the  Uni- 


INDIAN     MISSIONS. 


539 


ted  States.  An  act  was  passed  allowing  the  Osages  to  take  the 
amount  of  their  next  annuity  from  the  Government  in  articles 
of  food,  instead  of  money,  and  making  a  liberal  appropriation 
for  fencing  and  ploughing  prairie  land,  furnishing  them  with  a 
few  milch  cattle,  and  affording  them  some  assistance  in  farming. 
Dr.  James,  the  sub-agent  for  the  Missouri  Putawatomies,  was 
transferred  to  the  Osages ;  and  lest  some  inconvenience  should 
arise  from  delays,  which  might  happen,  a  gentleman,  then  in 
Washington,  was  appointed  specially  to  repair  to  their  villages, 
and  not  cease  his  operations  until  he  had  completed  the  fencing 
and  ploughing  of  five  hundred  acres  of  prairie  land. 

Thus  far  all  appeared  as  it  should  be.  The  special  agent 
was  of  a  respectable  family,  and  a  farmer  by  profession,  and  it 
was  believed  would  be  a  proper  person  to  manage  this  matter. 
Unfortunately  for  him,  and  still  more  so  for  the  Osages,  he  knew 
little  of  the  fawning  duplicity  of  some  men  who,  from  avaricious 
motives,  had  long  been  hanging  on  the  Osages  with  the  tenacity 
of  the  horse  leech.  These  men  soon  acquired  an  ascendancy 
over  him,  without  his  knowledge,  and  led  him  into  a  most  ex 
travagant  management  of  the  affairs  of  his  agency.  The  appro 
priation  of  Congress  was  exhausted,  the  summer  wasted,  and 
not  one  panel  of  fence  or  one  rail  made.  A  very  small  amount 
of  almost  useless  ploughing  was  the  result  of  all  these  well-meant 
efforts.  This  was  precisely  as  those  who  had  long  been  extract 
ing  the  very  life-blood  of  the  tribe  desired. 

In  March,  1838,  a  party  of  Osages,  consisting  of  about  twen 
ty  souls,  some  of  whom  were  women  and  children,  again  ven 
tured  into  the  white  settlements.  These  were  attacked  in  their 
encampment  by  nineteen  citizens,  and  in  the  skirmish  two  Osages 
were  killed,  and  two  white  men  badly  wounded,  one  of  whom 
died  shortly  afterwards. 

The  condition  of  the  Osages,  according  to  the  representation 
of  their  miseries  in  the  autumn  of  1837,  made  so  deep  an  impres 
sion  upon  the  proper  authorities  of  Government,  that  Congress 
did  not  stop  with  the  appropriation  for  immediate  and  partial 
relief.  At  the  same  session  an  appropriation  was  made  to  meet 
the  expenses  of  a  council  with  them,  which  bore  the  name  of  a 
treaty,  but  the  object  really  was  to  make  provision  for  extend 
ing  further  benefits  to  the  Osages,  without  asking  of  them  the 
relinquishment  of  any  thing.  This  design  of  the  Government 
was  humane,  and  added  to  the  reputation  of  those  who  had  the 
management  of  it  in  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  and  in 
Congress. 


540 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


On  reaching  Fort  Gibson,  on  the  tour  commenced,  as  has  been 
remarked,  on  the  llth  of  October,  1837,  I  ascertained  that  a 
copy  of  the  bill  of  Congress  with  which  I  had  been  charged, 
had  been  forwarded  to  the  agents  for  those  southern  tribes,  and 
therefore  I  did  not  proceed  to  lay  the  subject  before  them,  and 
being  exceedingly  pressed  with  business,  1  hastened  my  return. 
On  this  tour,  which  1  had  contemplated  would  be  pretty  exten 
sive,  1  had  hoped  to  visit  several  of  the  missionary  stations,  and 
to  collect  much  useful  information  respecting  Indian  affairs,  to 
be  laid  before  the  public  in  the  next  number  of  the  Annual 
Register.  With  some  expense  for  his  travelling,  I  prevailed  on 
my  travelling  companion,  Dr.  Chute,  to  make  the  whole  tour, 
and  to  collect  information.  By  him  I  wrote  the  missionaries. 
1  had  hoped  to  visit  Mr.  Potts,  and  to  assist  in  his  ordination  ; 
and  when  I  found  I  could  not  do  so,  I  wrote  Mr.  Davis,  entreat 
ing  him  to  accompany  Dr.  Chute,  and  to  endeavour  to  prevail 
on  Mr.  Potts  to  submit  to  ordination.  Poor  Mr.  Davis  was 
found  in  deep  affliction,  on  account  of  the  recent  death  of  his 
wife,  and  could  not  visit  Mr.  Potts,  at  a  distance  of  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  miles.  But,  to  our  great  satisfaction,  we 
learned  that  Mr.  Potts,  about  the  same  time,  visited  the  white 
settlements  in  the  State  of  Arkansas,  and  received  ordination. 

Mrs.  Davis,  whose  death  has  just  been  noticed,  was  a  Pres 
byterian  for  several  years  after  her  marriage  connection  with 
Mr.  D.  She  was  pious  and  sensible,  and  armed  with  much  de 
cision  of  character  in  regard  to  her  religious  sentiments,  and  was 
very  tenacious  of  the  peculiarities  of  her  denomination.  Mr. 
Davis  very  prudently  forbore  to  make  any  efforts  to  proselyte 
her  to  the  Baptists.  Nevertheless,  she  became  a  Baptist  in  sen 
timent,  and  was  immersed.  She  was  attacked  with  pain  of  teeth 
and  swelling  of  the  face,  and  died  of  hemorrhage  of  a  blood 
vessel  which  ruptured  in  her  mouth.  Her  death  was  a  severe 
loss  to  the  mission.  She  was  a  native  Creek,  and  her  place 
could  not  be  supplied  by  another  of  her  tribe.  Mr.  Davis  was 
left  in  charge  of  three  small  children,  in  a  country  where  their 
comfort  required  so  much  of  his  attention  as  to  hinder  him 
greatly  from  missionary  labours.  I  visited  his  house  some 
months  afterwards,  and  found  him  not  a  little  discouraged.  His 
hinderances  from  preaching,  &c.,  were  so  great,  that  he  doubted 
the  propriety  of  continuing  his  connection  with  the  board,  merely 
because  he  could  not  perform  the  amount  of  labour  he  desired. 
He  was  encouraged  to  continue. 

In  October,  1837,  Miss  Taylor  joined  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Potts, 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  541 

and  took  charge  of  a  female  school.  She  remained  a  little  over 
a  year,  when  she  retired  from  missionary  labours  on  account  of 
ill  health. 

In  January,  1838,  Mr.  Simerwell's  prospects  among  the  Pu- 
tawatomies  appeared  to  be  brightening,  and  many,  chiefly  adults, 
appeared  willing  to  learn  to  read  in  their  own  language ;  but  he 
was  alone,  and  having  the  affairs  of  his  family  to  attend — and 
this,  too,  under  the  disadvantages  consequent  on  a  new  settle 
ment — he  was  allowed  too  little  lime  to  bestow  on  missionary 
labours.  He  had  an  opportunity  of  hiring  a  half-Indian,  to  aid 
him  in  teaching  upon  the  new  system,  but  he  was  without  the 
means.  In  this  emergency,  I  advanced  him  funds  to  enable 
him  to  hire  the  man  a  month  or  two,  in  which  time  the  case 
could  be  made  known  to  the  board,  and  an  answer  obtained  ; 
but  the  board  did  not  authorize  his  employment,  and  so  that 
matter  ended. 

On  the  2d  of  February,  1838, 1  again  set  out  on  the  long  jour 
ney  to  Washington.  On  this  tour  I  suffered  extremely  with 
cold  in  crossing  the  vast  prairies  of  Illinois,  in  what  were  termed 
stages,  which  were  open  road-wagons,  without  seats.  I  was 
the  only  passenger  for  more  than  three  days  and  nights,  because 
few  travelled,  on  account  of  the  cold  and  the  bad  state  of  the 
roads.  To  the  clothing  common  for  travelling  in  the  most  se 
vere  weather,  I  added  two  blankets.  I  had  mittens  of  the  buf 
falo  skin,  with  the  hair  side  in.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  the 
ends  of  nearly  all  my  fingers  were  frost-bitten,  which  happened 
when  using  my  hands  in  wrapping  my  clothing  about  me.  The 
cold  affected  my  eyes  until  they  inflamed,  and  became  very 
troublesome.  On  account  of  ice,  I  found  much  difficulty,  and 
encountered  some  risk,  in  crossing  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi 
rivers.  This  year  I  submitted  to  the  Department  of  Indian 
Affairs  a  corrected  copy  of  the  large  map  of  the  Indian  terri 
tory.  It  was  believed  that  this  map  had  contributed  somewhat 
to  the  fixing  of  the  bounds  of  the  Indian  territory  in  the  public 
mind. 

The  Putawatomies  had  been  induced  to  request  the  Govern 
ment  to  subdivide  so  much  of  their  lands  as  was  needed  for 
immediate  occupancy,  so  that  each  could  hold  land  in  severally. 
I  submitted  iheir  pelition  to  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs, 
and  also  a  scheme,  which  I  recommended,  for  carrying  the  same 
into  effect.  Just  views  of  this  subject  were  taken  by  Mr.  Poin- 
sett,  Secretary  of  War,  and  prompt  attention  given  to  it ;  but,  con 
trary  to  what  we  had  expected,  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs 
of  the  Senate,  without  doubting  the  importance  of  the  measure 


542 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


in  regard,  to  the  interests  of  the  Indians,  doubted  the  propriety  of 
the  Government  undertaking  to  make  these  surveys,  supposing 
that  it  was  a  work  which  the  Indians  ought  to  do  at  their  own 
expense,  and  therefore  reported  unfavourably  on  the  measure. 

This  failure  we  deeply  regretted.  We  could  not  doubt  that 
formidable  obstacles  to  the  improvement  of  the  Indians  origin 
ated  in  their  community  of  right  in  the  soil,  and  no  point  in  the 
business  of  life  is  more  evident  than  that  industry  and  enterprise 
are  promoted  by  individual  right  in  landed  property,  by  which 
the  owner  is  assured  that  his  house,  and  his  field,  and  his  fruit 
tree,  are  his  own,  and  will  be  the  property  of  his  legal  heirs. 
Our  regrets  were  the  greater,  too,  because  this  was  the  first  in 
stance  of  an  Indian  tribe  expressing  a  desire  to  hold  land  in 
severally;  it  was  a  measure  to  which  we  attached  great  import 
ance,  and  it  could  not  reasonably  be  expected  that  so  great  a 
change  from  the  custom  of  ages  could  be  effected  without  some 
extraneous  aid.  The  repulsion  of  this  first  effort,  by  withhold 
ing  the  co-operation  of  Government,  looked  like  nipping  good 
fruit  in  the  bud. 

In  the  latter  part  of  April,  the  bill  for  organizing  the  Indian 
territory  was  discussed,  and  it  finally  passed  the  Senate  by  a 
majority  of  thirty-nine  to  six.  On  this  occasion,  some  of  the 
best  speeches  were  made,  in  favour  of  the  bill,  that  had  ever 
been  heard  in  Congress  on  that  subject.  There  were  a  few 
warm  speeches,  from  men  of  talents,  against  the  measure,  but 
they  savoured  so  much  of  the  cold-hearted  ness  of  past  ages  to 
wards  the  Indians,  that  they  only  served  to  elicit  arguments  of 
greater  force  in  their  favour.  Those  most  prominent  in  favour 
of  the  measure  were  Messrs.  Tipton,  Lumpkin,  White,  Smith 
of  Indiana,  and  Linn.  The  speeches  of  the  two  former  gen 
tlemen  were  printed  in  pamphlet  form,  many  hundreds  of 
which  I  procured  and  circulated  through  the  United  States,  for 
the  purpose  of  imparting  information,  and  of  giving  tone  to 
public  sentiment.  For  some  reason  which  appeared  rather  un 
accountable,  the  member  of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs, 
of  the  House  of  Representatives,  who  had  charge  of  this  bill, 
seemed  now  disinclined  to  urge  its  passage,  and  it  was  not  called 
up  for  the  final  action  of  the  House. 

While  I  was  in  Washington,  the  meeting  of  the  Triennial 
Convention  of  the  Baptists  was  held  in  the  city  of  New-York. 
I  had  hoped  for  the  pleasure  of  attending  this  Convention,  but 
business  did  not  allow  me  to  leave  Washington  at  that  time. 
To  the  care  of  some  worthy  brethren  who  attended,  I  intrusted 
some  business  with  the  Convention,  among  which  was  a  repeli- 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  543 

tion  of  the  request  that  they  consider  the  propriety  of  consti 
tuting  a  board  specially  for  the  management  of  Indian  missions. 
The  subject  was  introduced  and  referred,  but  no  action,  either 
of  the  Convention  or  of  the  board,  has  been  had  upon  it.  On 
his  way  to  the  Convention  I  saw  Mr.  Kellam,  of  the  Creek 
mission.  In  the  autumn  of  1837,  and  not  long  after  he  entered 
upon  his  labours  among  the  Creeks,  Mrs.  Kellam  sickened  and 
died,  leaving  an  infant.  This  was  another  heavy  stroke  upon 
that  mission,  which  seemed  destined  to  suffer  many  hinderances. 
Mr.  Kellam,  after  struggling  on  for  some  months,  judged  it 
necessary  to  his  future  happiness  and  usefulness  to  make  a  jour 
ney  to  the  eastern  States,  to  seek  another  companion  of  his 
toils,  in  place  of  her  of  whom  he  had  been  bereaved.  He  left 
his  infant  in  charge  of  the  excellent  Presbyterian  missionaries 
at  the  Dwight  station,  among  the  Cherokees.  Thus  the  opera 
tions  of  this  station  were  again  suspended.  Mr.  Davis,  whose 
residence  was  forty  miles  distant,  sometimes,  but  not  often,  visit 
ed  these  destitute  people. 

About  this  time,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Welch  again  made  a  hasty 
visit  to  Washington,  to  add  his  influence  in  favour  of  our  Indian 
affairs.  For  some  months  we  had  corresponded  with  a  brother 
in  the  western  part  of  the  State  of  New- York,  who  had  pro 
posed  to  become  a  missionary  to  the  Indians,  and  had  encou 
raged  him  to  come  on  without  delay,  and  join  us.  There  were 
favourable  openings  for  him  in  several  places,  in  which  mission 
aries  were  much  needed,  and  where  he  would  be  associated  with 
another  missionary,  and,  we  doubted  not,  would  be  useful.  We 
advised  him,  however,  to  make  his  case  known  to  the  board, 
which  he  did,  and,  contrary  to  what  we  had  expected,  the  board 
deemed  it  inexpedient  to  give  him  an  appointment. 

From  this  tour  of  four  months,  I  reached  my  family  on  the 
8th  of  June,  1838.  On  the  14th  of  July,  a  delegation  of  twen 
ty-six  Ottawas  and  Chippewas  arrived,  and,  on  the  19th,  I  went 
with  them  into  the  wilderness,  to  show  them  the  country  set 
apart  for  them.  We  passed  the  station  of  Mr.  Simerwell  and 
that  of  Mr.  Meeker ;  the  latter,  with  his  family,  was  in  poor 
health,  chiefly  on  account  of  intermittent  fevers.  Mr.  Meeker 
was  at  this  time  beginning  to  receive  some  assistance,  in  his  reli 
gious  labours  among  the  Ottawas,  from  a  young  Ottawa  who  had 
been  baptized  a  few  months  before,  who  was  a  man  of  ardent 
piety  and  exemplary  deportment. 

On  the  24th,  we  halted  at  noon  in  the  wilderness,  to  hold  a 
council.  While  adjusting  our  baggage,  a  large  spotted  rattle 
snake  was  discovered,  which,  not  satisfied  with  our  arrange- 


544 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


ments,  was  about, to  retire  from  the  council  ground,  but  it  fell  a 
victim  to  the  enmity  which  exists  between  man  and  the  serpent. 
None  of  our  Indians  had  ever  before  seen  any  of  this  species  of 
rattlesnake.  For  medicine,  connected  with  which  there  was,  of 
course,  some  kind  of  charm,  they  carefully  collected  all  the 
blood  of  the  reptile  that  could  be  obtained  by  cutting  off  the 
head.  Next  they  extracted  its  fangs,  through  which  the  fatal 
poison  is  injected  by  its  bite,  and  cut  off  and  preserved  the  rattle 
on  the  end  of  the  tail.  Many  of  those  northern  Indians,  instead 
of  killing  one  of  this  species  of  snake,  when  happening  to  meet 
with  it,  present  to  it  a  piece  of  tobacco,  for  the  purpose  of  con 
ciliating  that  family  of  serpents,  so  that  the  Indians  may  not 
suffer  by  them.  On  this  occasion,  their  curiosity,  and  fondness 
for  marvellous  medicines  and  charms,  had  led  them  to  a  viola 
tion  of  the  common  courtesies  subsisting  between  the  femily  of 
his  snakeship  and  themselves ;  and,  in  order  to  repair  the  breach 
as  far  as  possible,  they  resolved  that  nothing  should  be  wanting 
in  funeral  attentions.  The  earth  was  excavated  the  full  length 
of  the  body  of  the  snake,  in  which  it  was  carefully  deposited 
with  the  head,  and  a  piece  of  tobacco  placed  at  each  extremity. 
A  brief  funeral  oration  was  then  pronounced,  in  which  the 
speaker  expressed  a  hope  that  the  friendship  and  peace,  which 
he  desired  should  ever  subsist  between  the  two  families — name 
ly,  of  Indians  and  rattlesnakes — might  not  be  disturbed  by  what 
had  recently  happened.  After  which,  the  covering  of  the  reptile 
completed  the  ceremonies. 

In  the  autumn  of  1837,  the  Cherokees  called  a  general  coun 
cil,  to  which  neighbouring  tribes  were  invited,  and  some  attended. 
This  council  was  for  the  purpose  of  confirming  existing  friend 
ship  among  them.  The  next  autumn,  1838,  they  extended 
their  invitation  to  attend  a  general  council  to  tribes  further  off. 
All  the  tribes  north  of  them,  to  the  distance  of  about  four  hun 
dred  miles,  were  invited,  excepting  the  Osages  and  the  Kauzaus. 
In  their  messages  to  the  tribes,  they  did  not  state  distinctly  the 
object  of  the  contemplated  council.  They  intimated  some  dis 
satisfaction  with  the  treatment  they  had  received  from  the  Gov 
ernment  of  the  United  States,  and  expressed  the  opinion  that 
the  Indians  should  consult  their  own  interests  unitedly,  and 
endeavour  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

The  tenor  of  the  message  was  such,  that  many  of  the  tribes 
suspected  that  it  had  originated  in  some  hostile  design,  either 
against  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  the  Osages  and 
Kauzaus,  or  both.  Several  tribes  near  me  asked  advice,  whether 
they  should  attend  the  council  or  not ;  especially  the  Delawares 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


545 


and  Shawanoes,  who  called  on  me  with  some  formality,  and  at 
the  same  time  stated  their  suspicions  respecting  the  cause  of  the 
invitation.  They  were  advised  to  attend,  and  told  that  general 
councils  among  the  tribes  ought  to  be  held  once  a  year,  for  the 
preservation  of  peace  ;  and  this  accorded  with  the  scheme  which 
the  Government  had  proposed  in  relation  to  the  organization  of 
the  territory.  Should  they  discover  any  improper  feeling  in  the 
council,  they  would  be  prepared  to  aid  in  suppressing  it,  which 
they  could  not  do,  should  they  omit  to  attend.  Their  agent, 
however,  took  a  different  view  of  the  subject,  and  urged  them 
not  to  go.  They  would,  nevertheless,  have  attended  the  coun 
cil,  as  we  believed,  had  it  not  been  for  scruples  arising  out  of 
other  considerations  than  the  advice  of  their  agent.  The  Florida 
war  had  been  unaccountably  protracted,  and,  in  order  to  facili 
tate  its  termination,  it  had  been  deemed  proper  to  employ  a 
regiment  of  these  northwestern  Indians.  About  eighty  Dela- 
wares,  and  as  many  Shawanoes,  prompted  by  fidelity  to  the 
United  States,  and  the  promise  of  high  wages,  enlisted  and  per 
formed  a  six  months'  tour  in  Florida.  Jn  reference  to  their  pay, 
a  mistake  occurred  in  copying  the  order  at  Washington,  through 
which  the  Indians  were  promised  two  hundred  and  seventy-two 
dollars  for  six  months'  service,  instead  of  seventy-two.  Five 
hundred  Choctaws  mustered  for  the  same  service,  who,  on  be 
coming  acquainted  with  the  mistake,  returned  to  their  homes. 
But  the  Delawares  and  Shawanoes  heard  nothing  of  it  until 
they  had  proceeded  on  their  way  three  or  four  hundred  miles, 
when  they  chose  not  to  abandon  the  expedition.  None  went 
to  Florida,  excepting  these  companies  of  Shawanoes  and  Dela 
wares;  and  now,  when  invited  to  attend  a  general  council,  in 
which  they  would  probably  come  in  contact  with  some  of  those 
same  Floridians,  they  no  doubt  conjectured  that  unpleasant  con 
sequences  might  ensue ;  at  any  rate,  they  had  reason  to  doubt 
a  cordiality  of  feeling. 

It  was,  indeed,  to  be  regretted  deeply  that  the  Government 
had  asked  and  obtained  the  assistance  of  Indians  within  the  ter 
ritory,  to  force  the  Seminoles  on  to  the  same  ground,  where  the 
parties,  who  had  had  no  cause  of  quarrel  between  them,  should 
be  compelled  to  live  in  the  same  neighbourhood,  immediately 
after  they  had  been  shooting  at  each  other.* 

*  Cortez,  I  believe  it  was,  who  set  the  example  in  Mexico  of  inducing 
Indians  to  make  war  upon  their  kindred  Indians,  and  the  example,  we  are 
sorry  to  know,  has  been  followed  by  every  civilized  people  who  have  been 
engaged  in  wars  in  America.  The  Spaniards,  the  Dutch,  the  French,  the 
English,  the  American  Colonists,  and  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  have 
all  been  guilty  in  this  matter.  In  the  days  of  political  darkness,  such. as 

69 


546 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


The  Ottawas  agreed  that  they  would  send  two  men  to  the 
Cherokee  council,  but  horses  to  ride,  and  money  to  bear  their 
expenses,  were  wanting :  both  which  I  furnished,  and  they  at 
tended.  Two  Putawatomies  would  have  accompanied  them, 
but  were  prevented  by  sickness. 

This  council  occasioned  some  unnecessary  alarm  among  the 
whites,  who  feared  that  measures  of  hostility  were  fomenting ; 
but  it  was  a  measure  entirely  pacific  in  its  character,  and  which 
ought  to  be  encouraged  by  our  Government. 

The  greater  part  of  the  Putawatomies  were  yet  in  their  ori 
ginal  places  in  the  States  of  Indiana,  Michigan,  and  Illinois. 
Efforts  were  unremitted  to  get  such  as  emigrated  to  locate  in 
the  transient  settlement  formed  by  some  of  the  tribe  on  the  Mis 
souri.  Mr.  Simerwell  was  located  among  those  whom  we  con 
sidered  permanently  settled  within  the  Indian  territory,  and  we 
very  much  desired  that  as  many  as  possible  of  these  people, 
among  whom  we  had  commenced  our  labours  nearly  twenty 
years  before,  should  be  located  within  reach  of  the  institution 
continued  for  their  benefit.  Under  these  impressions,  Mr.  Ly- 
kins  was  prevailed  upon  to  accept  a  temporary  appointment 
under  Government,  to  go  to  Michigan  and  conduct  a  portion  of 
Putawatomie  emigrants,  should  they  consent  to  remove.  His 
acquaintance  with  Indian  affairs,  and  his  personal  acquaintance 
with  those  Indians,  fitted  him,  in  no  ordinary  degree,  for  this 
service.  He  left  the  Shawanoe  station  in  May,  1838,  and  did 
not  return  until  the  5th  of  November,  and  he  then  returned 
without  Indians.  He  found  them  opposed  to  removal,  and  re 
solved  either  to  remain  in  that  country,  or  to  pass  over  to  the 
British  possessions  in  Canada.  He  could  not,  of  course,  em 
ploy  any  other  means  than  honest  argument;  and  this  would, 
no  doubt,  have  succeeded  with  a  considerable  number,  if  not 
with  all,  had  it  not  been  for  the  misrepresentations  of  mischiev 
ous  white  men,  who  desired  to  profit  by  the  poor,  degraded 
Putawatomies. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  obstacles,  some  would  have  accom 
panied  him,  had  it  not  been  for  the  uncommon  degree  of  sick 
ness  which  prevailed  in  that  country.  During  its  prevalence, 
emigration  was  impracticable.  Mr.  Lykins  himself  was  attacked, 

those  in  which  the  earlier  settlements  of  America  were  made,  it  was  less 
surprising  that  these  comparatively  inoffensive  tribes,  without  any  cause  of 
their  own,  should  bo  induced  to-  destroy  each  other,  merely  to  promote  tho 
interests  of  their  invaders,  than  that  the  most  enlightened  and  Christian 
nations  upon  earth  should,  in  later  times,  condescend  to- such  modes  of  war- 
fare,  against  the  Indians  and  against  one  another.  Our  own  country,  wo 
know,  is  less  guilty  than  some  others,  but  it  is  not  innocent. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


547 


and  brought  so  low  by  an  epidemic  fever,  that  his  physicians 
despaired  of  his  recovery.  His  illness  was  protracted  from  the 
1st  of  August  to  the  15th  of  October,  and  when  he  reached 
home  he  was  still  feeble.  During  his  most  severe  sufferings, 
Moses  Scott,  Esq.,  whom  he  had  appointed  assistant,  was  with 
him,  and  without  whose  unremitting  attentions  it  is  probable  ha 
would  have  died.  Mr.  Scott's  kindness  was  the  more  deserving 
of  praise,  because  his  own  health  was  poor,  and  the  circum 
stances  of  his  family  were  such  as  rendered  his  presence  with 
them  desirable.  Still  he  would  not  leave  Mr.  Lykins  until  the 
latter  had  become  convalescent. 

The  designs  of  the  Government  to  organize  the  Indian  ter 
ritory  had  not,  in  1837,  been  brought  to  the  consideration  of  the 
southern  tribes,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Department  of  Indian 
Affairs;  and  in  the  summer  of  1838,  Captain  William  Ann- 
strong,  acting  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  and  myself,  were 
instructed  to  attend  to  this  matter.  The  following  instructions 
were  forwarded  to  us  jointly  : 

"  War  Department,  Office  of  Indian  Affairs,  August  21,  1838. 
<l  GENTLEMEN  :  I  have  the  honour  to  inclose  a  printed  copy 
of  a  bill  that  passed  the  Senate  at  the  last  session  of  Congress, 
for  the  organization  of  a  Government  for  the  Indian  territory* 
An  effort  will  be  made  at  the  next  session  to  secure  its  passage 
through  both  Houses.  It  is  believed  that  this  will  be  more 
likely  to  succeed,  if  the  assent  to  its  provisions  of  the  principal 
tribes  can  be  first  obtained.  It  is  important,  therefore,  that  an 
attempt  should  be  made  to  gain  this.  You  have  been  associated 
together  for  this  purpose,  it  being  desirable  to  have  the  benefit 
of  your  joint  influence,  and  of  the  knowledge  each  possesses  of 
the  subject;  the  one,  [Captain  Armstrong,]  from  his  official 
position  and  intercourse  with  the  tribes  ;  the  other,  [Mr.  McCoy,] 
from  his  agency  in  originating  the  measure,  and  thus  far  prose 
cuting  it  to  a  successful  issue.  The  assemblies  convened  for 
the  payment  of  the  annuities  will,  probably,  afford  the  best  oc 
casions  for  attending  to  this  business.  You  will  please  to  for 
ward  your  reports,  so  as  to  reach  this  office  on  or  before  the 
first  day  of  November  next. 

"  Very  respectfully,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

"  C.  A.  HARRIS,  Commissioner, 
"  Captain  WILLIAM  ARMSTRONG, 

"  Choctaw  Agency,  west  of  Arkansas. 
"  Rev.  ISAAC  McCoy, 

"  Westport,  Jackson  county,  Missouri" 


548 


HIST  OK*  or  BAPTIST 


In  obedience  to  the  foregoing  instructions,  1  left  home  on  the 
1 8th  of  September,  and  was  absent  nearly  six  weeks.  This 
was  another  wilderness  journey,  attended  with  the  ordinary  pri 
vations.  1  had  with  me  a  hired  man,  and  we  drove  a  pack-horse 
for  the  purpose  of  transporting  our  tent  and  supplies.  Captain 
Armstrong  was  sick  at  this  time,  and  unable  to  attend  to  the 
duties  enjoined  by  our  instructions,  and  I  proceeded  to  the 
Choctaws  alone.  Their  annual  council  was  in  session,  which  I 
reached  on  the  4th  of  October.  To  the  organization  of  the 
Indian  territory,  as  proposed  by  the  Government,  the  Choctaw 
council  objected,  without  assigning  any  definite  reason.  They 
were  careful  that  nothing  should  be  wanting  in  courtesy,  but 
they  declined  meeting  the  matter  fairly,  and  stating  their  rea 
sons  for  or  against  the  measure.  They  intimated,  in  their  re 
sponse,  that  they  lacked  confidence  in  the  Government  of  the 
United  States.  This,  no  doubt,  was  the  reason  why  they  de 
clined  any  definite  action  in  relation  to  the  subject. 

Notwithstanding  we  did  not  obtain  such  an  answer  as  was 
desired,  this  was  a  very  interesting  interview,  from  which  we 
not  only  derived  personal  satisfaction,  but  hoped  for  an  impres 
sion  upon  the  public  mind  beneficial  to  the  Indians  generally. 
Here  was  developed  a  career  of  improvement  recently  com 
menced,  and  truly  auspicious. 

The  system  of  chieftaincies,  which  belongs  only  to  savage 
life  has  been  virtually  abolished  by  the  Choctaws.  Chiefs  and 
jjrincipal  men  cannot  now  be  convened  by  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,  who  will  feel  authorized  to  transact  business 
in  behalf  of  the  nation  by  virtue  of  a  vested  right,  as  is  claimed 
and  exercised  by  chiefs  among  uncivilized  Indians. 

The  tribe  denominates  itself  "  The  Choctaw  Nation."  It 
has  adopted  a  written  constitution  of  Government,  similar  to 
the  constitution  of  the  United  States.  Their  declaration  of 
rights  secures  to  all  equal  privileges,  and  liberty  of  conscience, 
excluding  all  religious  tests  ;  it  secures  trial  by  jury,  and,  in  a 
word,  it  provides  for  all  that  is  felt  to  be  necessary  in  the  inci 
pient  stages  of  political  existence.  The  Constitution  may  be 
amended  by  the  National  Council. 

Their  country  is  divided  into  four  judicial  districts.  Three 
of  these  districts  annually  elect,  by  popular  vote,  each  nine 
members  of  the  National  Council,  and  the  fourth  elects,  by  the 
same  mode,  thirteen  members,  in  all  forty.  These  are  allowed 
three  dollars  a  day,  while  engaged  in  legislating.  Within  each 
district,  an  officer,  denominated  a  chief,  is  elected  for  the  term 
of  four  years.  .  The  National  Council  meets,  annually,  on  the 


INBIAN    MISSIONS- 


549 


first  Monday  in  October.  It  consists  of  forty  members,  the 
necessary  clerks,  a  light-horseman,  (sergeant-at-arms,)  and  door 
keeper.  It  is  also  attended  by  the  chiefs,  who  have  an  hono 
rary  seat  provided  for  them  by  the  side  of  the  Speaker,  but 
they  have  no  voice  in  debate  in  council.  Their  signatures  are 
necessary  to  the  passage  of  a  law.  They  may  veto  an  act,  but 
it  may  become  a  law,  by  a  concurrence  of  two-thirds  of  the 
Council,  notwithstanding.  The  Council  is  styled  "  The  Gene 
ral  Council  of  the  Choctaw  Nation."  It  adopts  by-laws  for  its 
government  while  in  session,  and  elects  a  Speaker  and  other  re 
quisite  officers,  and  appoints  appropriate  committees  to  adjust 
matters  for  legislation.  All  writings  are  in  English,  but  are  read 
off  in  the  Choctaw  language,  and  all  their  discussions  are  carried 
on  in  the  Choctaw  language.  Each  member,  when  about  to 
speak,  rises,  and  respectfully  addresses  the  Speaker,  using  the 
Choctaw  word  for  Speaker,  adding  the  syllable  wzcr,  which 
nearly  corresponds  with  the  English  Mr.,  or  Sir.  The  question 
is  put  in  the  form  customary  in  legislative  bodies,  and  the  vote 
is  given  by  rising.  The  preliminary  of  a  law  is,  "Be  it  en 
acted  by  the  General  Council  of  the  Choctaw  Nation."  In 
future,  the  Constitution  and  laws  will  be  printed  in  both  the 
Choctaw  and  English  language.  By  the  Constitution,  the  Go 
vernment  is  composed  of  four  departments,  viz:  Legislative, 
Executive,  Judicial,  and  Military.  Three  judges  are  elected 
by  the  people  in  each  district,  who  hold  inferior  and  superior 
courts  within  their  respective  districts.  Ten  light-horsemen  in 
each  district  perform  the  duties  of  sheriffs,  and  the  sum  of  two 
hundred  dollars  per. annum  is  allowed  to  each  district  for  their 
compensation.  An  act  has  recently  been  passed  for  the  organi 
zation  of  the  militia. 

Individual  Indians  have  frequently  become  civilized,  and  sub 
ject  to  the  laws  of  white  men  ;  but  the  Choctaws  furnish  the 
first  instance  among  the  aboriginal  tribes  of  America,  of  self- 
government,  divested  of  the  barbarous  customs  which  belong  to 
the  savage  state.  It  is  truly  gratifying  that  the  laws  of  a  com 
monwealth  have  been  established  within  the  Indian  territory, 
so  soon  after  the  plan  of  organizing  an  Indian  government  has 
been  undertaken  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  It 
evinces  the  capacity  of  the  natives  to  think  and  act  for  them 
selves,  and  it  may  be  looked  upon  as  a  sure  presage  of  the  suc 
cess,  ultimately,  of  the  design  of  the  Government  to  place  all 
the  tribes  in  the  enjoyment  of  such  blessings. 

The  following  brief  narrative  of  the  manner  in  which  our 
business  was  attended  to  by  the  General  Council,  to  which 


550 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


I  presented  for  consideration  the  bill  for  the  organization  of  the 
Indian  territory,  does  not  fully  comport  with  the  design  of  this 
work  ;  nevertheless,  as  it  relates  to  a  period  which  will  be 
marked  as  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the  Indians,  and  as  the 
reader  cannot  feel  perfectly  satisfied  with  general  remarks,  be 
cause,  if  we  would  understand  the  true  condition  of  a  people, 
we  must  have  before  us  an  unvarnished  story  of  their  affairs  in 
common  life,  I  will  insert  it. 

On  my  arrival  I  informed  a  member  of  the  Council  that 
I  had  been  commissioned  to  transact  business  with  the  Choc- 
taws,  and  inquired  in  what  manner  it  could  be  brought  before 
them.  He  said  a  written  notice  must  be  sent  to  the  Speaker; 
and  politely  offered  to  serve  me  in  presenting  any  papers  that  I 
desired.  A  communication  was  accordingly  conveyed  to  the 
Speaker,  who,  in  due  form,  submitted  it  to  the  consideration  of 
the  Council.  It  was  decided  by  vote  that  I  should,  at  a  given 
time,  be  introduced  into  the  Council.  A  seat  was  prepared,  an 
interpreter  appointed,  and  a  committee  of  two  sent  to  inform  me, 
and  to  conduct  me  to  my  seat.  Having  received  our  communi 
cation,  the  subject  was  for  the  present  dismissed  by  the  Coun 
cil,  to  be  considered  in  its  proper  place  in  the  order  of  busi 
ness. 

There  was  in  the  vicinity  only  one  house  of  public  entertain 
ment.  For  want  of  room  in  the  tavern,  and  for  the  sake  of 
economy,  a  majority  of  the  members,  and  of  others  in  attend 
ance,  boarded  themselves  in  camp.  This  session  lasted  much 
longer  than  had  been  anticipated.  The  consequence  was,  some 
inconvenience  for  want  of  supplies,  and  great  anxiety  to  adjourn, 
which,  with  many,  was  increased  on  account  of  their  business 
requiring  their  presence  at  their  homes.  Notwithstanding  this 
state  of  anxiety,  on  a  Saturday  night  they  unanimously  voted 
not  to  sit  on  the  Sabbath,  and  by  a  unanimous  vote  invited 
me  to  preach  in  the  Hall,  and  appointed  an  interpreter,  and 
a  committee  to  notify  me.  All  this  was  done  without  a  hint 
from  a  white  man  to  prompt  it.  A  congregation  never  be 
haved  with  more  propriety  under  the  preaching  of  a  chaplain 
in  Congress-Hall  than  did  this  in  the  National  Hall  of  the 
Choctaws. 

Our  business  was  referred  to  a  committee,  which  reported. 
The  Council,  in  the  discussion  of  the  subject,  and  in  making  out 
its  response,  sat  with  closed  doors.  Their  communication  was 
sent  to  me  by  a  messenger.  I  then  informed  one  of  the  mem 
bers  that  I  should  be  happy  to  take  leave  of  the  Council  in  a 
formal  and  friendly  manner.  They  passed  a  resolution,  by 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


551 


which  they  sent  a  member  and  invited  me  within  the  bar,  and 
heard  from  me  a  brief  farewell  address,  at  the  conclusion  of  which 
the  Speaker  and  all  the  members  rose  from  their  seats,  and  re 
mained  standing  until  I  had  retired. 

They  sit  in  council  with  heads  uncovered,  excepting  some 
in  Indian  costume,  who  wear  turbans.  There  were  many  ani 
mated  speeches.  I  could  not  understand  a  single  sentence,  but 
was  charmed  with  the  gracefulness  with  which  the  speakers 
disengaged  themselves  from  their  seats,  and  delivered  their 
speeches.  Intonation  of  voice  was  sweet,  and  gesticulation  ap 
propriate  ;  both  of  them  free  from  those  extremes  of  high  and 
loWj  of  storm  and  calm,  which  too  often  injure  speeches  in  legis 
lative  bodies.  Some  of  those  who  were  prominent  in  debate 
were  full-blooded  Indians,  in  the  Indian  costume.  Many  of 
the  counsellors,  no  doubt,  will  soon  figure  as  statesmen.  I 
forbear  to  mention  names,  because  I  should  be  compelled,  either 
to  do  injustice  to  some,  or  to  fill  up  too  much  space.  On  one 
occasion  a  very  animated  debate  arose,  in  which  two  ardent 
young  men  responded  to  each  other,  in  two  or  three  pretty  long 
speeches,  in  which  they  used  written  notes. 

In  passing  through  the  Cherokee  and  Creek  countries,  it  was 
discovered  that  a  general  belief  prevailed,  that  the  design  of 
organizing  the  territory  was  in  reality  a  design  to  rob  them  of 
the  country.  This  impression,  no  doubt,  had  been  promoted 
by  mischievous  white  men.  Our  time  was  too  short  to  correct 
this  erroneous  impression,  and  we  therefore  did  not  submit  the 
bill  to  the  consideration  of  those  tribes. 

The  necessity  for  the  organization  of  the  territory  had  evi 
dently  been  felt  by  the  Cherokees,  because  the  ostensible  ob 
jects  of  the  General  Council,  which  had  recently  been  called  by 
them,  were  virtually  such  as  related  to  such  an  organization. 
They,  however,  would,  no  doubt,  prefer  that  the  measure  should 
come  before  the  other  tribes  as  one  that  had  emanated  from  the 
Cherokees,  rather  than  as  one  from  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  because,  by  this  means,  they  would  be  placed  in 
the  attitude  of  leaders.  It  is  probable  that  in  some  of  the  tribes 
which  are  farthest  advanced  in  civilization,  principal  men  may 
feel  disinclined  to  adopt  the  plan  of  confederation,  as  has  been 
proposed  in  the  bill  for  the  organization  of  the  Indian  territory, 
lest  by  being  placed  by  the  side  of  other  men  of  respectable 
talents  and  acquirements,  their  own  may  become  somewhat 
eclipsed.  But  the  only  formidable  difficulty,  in  the  minds  of  the 
Indians,  is  their  want  of  confidence  in  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States.  They  feel  that  they  have  been  injured,  under  the  spe- 


552 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


cious  show  of  friendship.  Preambles  to  almost  all  treaties  ex 
press  great  regard  for  the  Indians,  and  a  desire  to  improve  their 
condition  is  a  prominent  reason  assigned  for  making  the  treaty; 
whereas  they  have  learned,  long  since,  that  the  benefit  of  the 
Indians  seldom  has  any  influence  in  producing  treaties.  They 
have  learned,  further,  that  many  stipulations  of  treaties  made 
at  divers  times,  promised  the  Indians  what  the  General  Govern 
ment,  then  treating,  could  not  perform.  Take,  for  instance  the 
promises  and  concessions  made  to  the  Cherokees,  by  various 
treaties,  by  which  they  were  induced  to  believe  that  they  might 
remain  in  the  peaceable  enjoyment  of  their  country,  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  that  the  United  States  would,  when  appealed 
to,  protect  them  in  their  rights.  They  made  the  appeal,  and 
found  that  the  United  States'  Government  had  promised,  partly 
in  direct  terms,  and  partly  by  implication,  what  it  could  not 
perform ;  and  now,  when  this  same  Government  comes  before 
these  same  people  and  their  kindred  tribes,  with  propositions 
prefaced  with  similar  expressions  of  friendship  and  good  will, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  the  sincerity  of  those  professions  should 
be  doubted.  The  immigrants,  however,  as  fast  as  they  recover 
from  the  pain  of  harrowed  feelings,  and  become  prepared  to 
take  an  enlarged  and  impartial  view  of  the  whole  case,  will  per 
ceive  that  uncontrollable  causes,  which  the  good  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  generally,  deplored,  worked  their  latter  woes, 
and  that  these  causes  do  not  reach  them  within  the  territory; 
and  that,  because  a  bad  policy,  entailed  upon  us  by  the  genera 
tions  which  preceded  us,  brought  us  in  debt  to  them,  which 
debts  we  could  not  pay  in  kind,  it  does  not  follow  that  we  are 
unwilling  to  make  restitution  in  the  only  practicable  method. 

Returning  to  my  home,  on  the  30th  of  October,  1838,  I 
found  a  delegation  of  Delawares,  consisting  of  chiefs  and  prin 
cipal  men,  who  had  with  them  the  resolution  of  a  large  majority 
of  their  tribe,  expressed  in  full  council,  that  they  would  enact 
laws  for  their  benefit,  beginning  with  such  as  were  most  needed  ; 
and  as  intemperance  was  the  greatest  evil  which  they  suffered, 
their  first  laws  should  be  for  the  purpose  of  suppressing  that 
ruinous  practice.  They  bore  a  letter,  addressed  jointly  to  their 
agent  and  myself,  declaring  their  resolution,  and  asking  our  as 
sistance  in  framing  laws,  and  our  advice,  generally,  in  regard  to 
the  proper  mode  for  them  to  proceed. 

The  day  before  my  arrival,  they  had  presented  this  communi 
cation  to  their  agent,  from  whom  they  did  not  receive  an  answer 
in  accordance  with  their  wishes.  The  poor  Delawares  felt  this 
repulse  most  keenly.  Sensible  of  their  want  of  information, 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


553 


they  had  in  an  humble  and  very  respectful  manner  asked  assist 
ance  from  those  from  whom  they  had  a  right  to  expect  it,  in 
making  an  innovation  upon  the  custom  of  ages  of  savage  life, 
and  in  favour  of  civilization.  This  was  their  first  step,  and  it 
had  been  taken  tremblingly,  and  now  a  frown  upon  this  first 
effort  was  exceedingly  mortifying. 

I  requested  them  not  to  be  discouraged,  and  told  them  they 
had  turned  their  faces  in  a  proper  direction.  Important  matters 
were  seldom  accomplished  easily,  and  often  it  seemed  that  the 
ultimate  benefits  of  an  enterprise  were  somewhat  proportioned 
to  the  difficulties  which  had  opposed  its  accomplishment.  I  as 
sured  them  that  I  would  attend  to  their  requests,  and  make  them 
a  written  communication  on  the  subject,  as  soon  as  I  could  find 
time  to  prepare  it.  Seldom  have  we  seen  Indians  so  much 
elated  as  were  those  with  this  half  success  of  their  laudable 
effort. 

They  afterwards  called  and  received  the  documents  promised 
them,  and  went  to  work  according  to  the  mode  recommended 
to  them.  They  were  opposed  by  a  small  portion  of  the  tribe, 
among  whom  were  two  chiefs.  They  complained  to  the  agent 
that  their  rights  had  been  invaded,  and  at  length  pleaded  that 
intemperance  could  as  well  be  suppressed  without  written  laws 
as  with  them,  and  proposed  the  trial.  Whereupon,  the  major 
ity,  by  their  figure  of  speech,  replied,  "  Well,  if  you  can  pre 
vent  intemperance,  we  will,  for  the  present,  hang  up  our  busi 
ness  which  we  have  begun  in  relation  to  it."  The  effort, 
though  it  was  not  carried  out,  in  consequence  of  the  views  of 
the  United  States'  agent,  nevertheless  had  a  happy  effect  for 
many  months  in  diminishing  the  evil  of  intemperance. 

Having  been  required  to  cause  the  Cherokee  surveys  to  be 
completed,  &ic.,  with  the  view  of  giving  them  a  patent  for  their 
land,  I  was  afforded  an  opportunity  of  pleading  with  the  Gov 
ernment  that  the  instrument  might  be  so  framed  that  it  would 
be  additionally  difficult  for  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  in 
dividually,  to  get  into  the  Indian  country,  to  crowd  the  proper 
owners  out.  I  had  manifested  so  much  feeling  upon  this  sub 
ject,  that  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  requested  me  to  write 
a  projet  of  the  form  of  a  patent.  This  being  the  first  given  to 
an  Indian  tribe,  would  be  referred  to  as  a  precedent  in  future ; 
on  which  account  we  felt  the  deeper  solicitude  in  the  case.  This 
form,  accompanied  by  reasons  for  its  peculiarity,  was  submitted 
to  the  consideration  of  the  Attorney-General  of  the  United 
States,  the  Hon.  B.  F.  Butler,  whose  province  it  was  to  decide 
questions  of  this  character.  In  October,  T.  Hartley  Crawford, 
70 


554 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


Esq.,  who  had  succeeded  Mr.  Harris  in  the  office  of  Commis 
sioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  had  the  kindness  to  forward  me  a  copy 
of  the  patent,  as  fixed  by  the  decision  of  the  Attorney-General, 
together  with  his  reasons  in  favour  of  the  form  agreed  upon. 
The  point  of  which  I  had  been  particularly  tenacious  had  been 
deemed  inadmissible,  not  on  account  of  its  utility  being  doubted, 
but  because  a  stipulation  in  the  Cherokee  treaty  forbid  it.  Here, 
again,  was  a  serious  evil,  growing  out  of  that  unfortunate  treaty 
of  1835.  I  regret  to  say,  that  the  most  serious  difficulties  at 
tending  the  proper  adjustment  of  Indian  affairs,  and  placing  them 
on  the  highway  of  national  prosperity,  appear  to  be  laid  in  the 
blundering  forms  of  their  treaties. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Small-pox.  Death.  Journey  to  Washington.  Difficulties  at 
the  Creek  station.  Fourth  number  of  the  Annual  Register. 
The  Indian  bill  again  passes  the  Senate.  Death  of  a  mis 
sionary.  Baptisms.  Missionaries  appointed.  Wyandots. 
Stockbridges. 

On  my  late  tour  among  the  Cherokees,  Choctaws,  Chicka- 
saws,  Creeks,  and  Seminoles,  it  was  distressing  to  find  the  ex 
istence  of  the  small-pox  among  those  tribes,  occasioning  great 
distress  and  waste  of  life.  There  was  imminent  danger,  too,  of 
its  being  communicated  to  others,  and  its  havoc  would  probably 
be  most  terrible  among  the  remote  tribes  towards  the  southwest. 
This  dreadful  scourge  had  nearly  exterminated  the  Mandans,  on 
the  Missouri,  in  1837,  and  had  been  very  destructive  among 
many  other  remote  tribes  in  the  northwest.  This  circumstance 
had  induced  the  Government  to  extend  the  benefits  of  vaccination 
to  some ;  but,  as  it  had  happened  in  cases  of  vaccination  which 
immediately  followed  the  passage  of  the  law  for  that  object  in 
1832,  the  effort  was  too  feeble  and  unsystematic.  The  preva 
lence  of  the  disease  among  the  southern  tribes,  at  this  time, 
was  represented  to  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  ;  and,  also, 
through  its  indulgence,  a  scheme  was  submitted  for  more  effect 
ually  arresting  the  progress  of  the  disease,  and  preventing  its 
recurrence  in  future.  Measures  were  adopted  in  reference  to 
these  ends,  and  physicians  were  employed  to  impart  the  benefits 
of  vaccination  to  various  tribes. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


555 


On  the  25th  of  December,  1838,  we  realized  another  severe 
trial,  in  reference  to  our  oft  repeated  family  afflictions.  Mrs. 
Donohoe,  our  youngest  daughter,  only  about  eighteen  years  of 
age,  had,  for  a  twelvemonth  or  more,  been  declining  in  health, 
and  was  at  this  time  exceedingly  low  with  a  consumption,  from 
which  no  hope  of  her  recovery  could  be  indulged.  The  in 
terests  of  our  Indian  matters  appeared  to  require  me  to  make 
another  journey  to  Washington,  in  language  too  imperious  to  be 
disobeyed.  My  almost  heart-broken  wife  strengthened  herself 
in  the  Lord,  and  our  sick  child  acquiesced  with  religious  cheer 
fulness.  All  concerned  concurred  in  opinion  that  the  calls  of 
Indian  interests  were  so  loud,  and  distinct,  and  affecting,  as  to 
require  the  sacrifice  of  separation.  Alas!  this  parting  hand  was 
the  last  given  to  my  dear  Eleanor.  She  died  on  the  llth  day 
of  January,  and  before  I  reached  my  journey's  end.  The  sad 
intelligence  followed  close  upon  my  heels ;  but  the  bitter  bowl 
contained  a  cordial  too.  Death  had  lost  his  sting,  and  the  grave 
had  been  disrobed  of  its  horrors.  She  was  religiously  cheerful 
to  the  last  moment  of  her  existence,  and,  apparently  without 
anxiety  or  dread,  she  endeavoured  to  inspire  others  around  her 
with  similar  sentiments.  With  lips  which  faltered  more  and 
more,  she  said,  "  I  am  going  home — Jesus — joy — Jesus — great 
joy,"  and  ceased  to  breathe !  She  was  the  tenth  child  of  whom 
we  had  been  bereaved,  and  all  since  we  had  been  missionaries. 

Mr.  Kellam,  who  had  left  the  Creek  station  in  the  spring  of 
1838,  on  a  visit  to  the  Eastern  States,  was  unable  to  get  back  to  his 
post  before  November.  I  was  in  the  Creek  country  in  October, 
and  took  some  pains  to  have  the  furniture  of  the  mission  house 
preserved  from  damage,  to  which  it  was  exposed.  When  he 
returned,  a  few  weeks  afterwards,  he  found  not  only  his  furniture 
in  bad  condition,  but  the  United  States'  agent  had  appointed 
another  Government  teacher  in  his  stead,  who  had  taken  pos 
session  of  the  buildings,  which  were  the  property  of  the  board 
of  missions.  While  in  Washington,  a  letter  from  Mr.  Kellam 
reached  me,  detailing  these  disasters,  and  about  the  same  time 
a  similar  communication  was  received  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  the  trea 
surer  of  the  board,  who  was  at  that  time  in  Washington.  Ap 
plication  was  immediately  made  to  the  Government  for  restitu 
tion,  which  resulted  in  an  order  from  the  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs  for  reinstating  Mr.  Kellam. 

I  could  not  conveniently  get  the  fourth  number  of  the  An 
nual  Register  printed  at  our  office  at  the  Shawanoe  station,  and 
the  work  was  executed  in  Washington,  which  made  its  distribu 
tion  in  the  various  parts  of  the  United  States  convenient.  It 


556 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


was  published  at  my  own  cost,  and,  like  all  the  preceding  num 
bers,  issued  gratuitously. 

The  bill  for  the  organization  of  the  Indian  territory  again 
passed   the   Senate  by  a  very  large  majority,  but  it  was  not 
brought  before  the  House  of  Representatives  for  final  action,. 
Some  circumstances  connected  with  Indian  affairs  induced  the 
belief,  among  some  of  the  warmest  friends  of  the  measure,  that 
its  passage  had  better  be  postponed.     But  this  postponement 
implied  not  the  least  doubt  of  the  importance  of  the  measure, 
or  the  slightest  indication  of  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  its  ad 
vocates  to  abandon  it.    Nevertheless,  it  may  safely  be  supposed, 
that  they  who  had  laboured  sixteen  years  for  the  accomplish 
ment  of  this  object,  regretted  that  any  circumstance  should  pre 
vent  it.     Although  the  step  which  ought  to  have  been  the  first 
in  order  taken  by  the  Government,  has  not  been  taken  at  all, 
the  time  and  labour  bestowed  upon  the  subject  have  not  been 
wasted.    About  ninety-five  thousand  Indians,  belonging  to  twen 
ty-three  tribes,  have  been  collocated  within  the  proposed  Indian 
territory.     Plats  of  the  boundaries  proposed  for  it  have  been  so 
long  kept  before  the  public,  that  the  contemplation  of  the  lines 
has  become  pretty  uniform  among  men,  when  reflecting  upon 
the  matters  of  the  territory.     Some  have  their  land  secured  to 
them  by  patent,  and  measures  are  in  progress  which  will  soon 
secure  the  lands  to  all  by  the  same  indisputable  title.     Just 
views  of  the  causes  of  Indian  decline  and  misery,  and  of  the 
means  which  ought  to  be  employed  for  reclaiming  them,  and 
our  obligation  to  employ  those  means,  have  been  promote^. 
Most  of  the  immigrants  who  have  had  time  to  recover  from  the 
damage  sustained  in  their  removal,  are  improving  their  con 
dition.     A  knowledge  of  the  just  ground  laid  for  producing  a 
better  condition  is  increasing  and  inspiring  hope,  and  promoting 
industry  and  enterprise.     Even  the  indigenous  tribes  are  im 
bibing  a  spirit  of  improvement.     Some  tribes  have  already  laid 
a  solid  basis  of  civil  and  religious  institutions  ;  others  are  follow 
ing  them  at  greater  or  less  distance.   The  whole  is  assuming  the 
appearance,  and  customs,  and  enjoyments  of  a  civil  community; 
and,  as  order  is  restored,  and  the  social  relations  of  life  promo 
ted,  they  are  brought  within  the  reach  of  religious  instruction % 
from  regular  attendance  on  which  the  unsettled  state  of  their 
affairs  had  prevented  them ;  and,  what  is  worth  more  than  all 
other  things,  the  religion  of  the  Bible  is  steadily  advancing 
among  them. 

I  returned  to  my  afflicted  family  on  the  21st  of  March,  1831X 
Mr.  Rollin  bad  not  been  very  successful  in  his  labours  among; 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  557 

the  Shawanoes,  and  on  my  tour,  in  the  autumn  of  1838, 1  thought 
I  had  discovered  for  him  a  more  promising  field  among  the  Choc- 
taws,  which  I  designed  to  recommend  him  to  enter.  But,  to  our 
great  distress,  his  health  was  evidently  failing.  He  continued 
to  decline  under  a  pulmonary  consumption,  and  having  obtained 
leave  of  the  board  to  retire  from  missionary  labours,  on  the  llth 
of  April,  1839,  he  left  our  place  for  Michigan,  with  Mrs.  Rollin 
and  three  small  children.  For  a  while,  travelling  on  a  steam 
boat  seemed  to  improve  his  health.  He  reached  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Read,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Rollin,  in  Michigan,  in  a  very 
low  state  of  health  ;  but  survived  only  about  one  week.  On 
the  12th  of  May  he  finished  his  labours  on  earth.  His  life  had 
been  religious,  and  his  death  was  happy.  His  confidence  in  the 
Redeemer  remained  unshaken.  In  the  time  of  trial,  when  he 
knew  he  must  leave  his  amiable  wife  a  widow,  and  his  dear 
children  fatherless,  and  when  he  was  himself  about  to  give  an 
account  of  his  stewardship,  he  derived  substantial  consolation 
from  the  Gospel  which  he  had  laboured  to  make  known  to  the 
Indians.  In  endeavouring  to  secure  to  those  poor  people  "  du 
rable  riches  and  righteousness"  he,  with  the  disinterestedness 
of  a  faithful  missionary,  had  omitted  to  provide  for  the  future 
support  of  his  family.  He  now  left  them  poor,  but  left  them  in 
charge  of  the  Father  of  the  fatherless  and  the  widow's  God. 
He  had  been  "  faithful  unto  death,"  and  has,  no  doubt,  received 
a  "  crown  of  life ;"  and  at  the  time  of  harvest,  it  is  believed, 
he  will  not  be  destitute  of  sheaves  gathered  from  the  steril 
regions  of  Indian  lands. 

On  the  12th  day  of  May,  an  Ottawa  female  was  baptized, 
and  also  Mr.  SimerwelPs  eldest  son,  a  lad  of  about  thirteen 
years  of  age.  The  Indian  female  had  long  lingered  in  declining 
health,  and  was  so  low  as  to  occasion  doubts  with  the  mission 
aries  respecting  the  propriety  of  her  being  baptized.  She,  how 
ever,  insisted  on  being  baptized,  and  her  husband  accorded  in 
opinion  and  desire.  When  carried  to  the  water,  a  considerable 
number  of  Ottawas  appeared,  and  objected;  declaring  their  con 
fident  belief  that  immersion  in  water  would  be  followed  soon 
by  death.  She  requested  to  be  taken  near  enough  to  them  to 
be  heard,  when  she  gave  them  a  lecture  that  silenced  all  objec 
tions.  It  was  a  favour  in  Providence  that,  for  some  time  after 
her  baptism,  her  health  appeared  to  improve.  This  favour  ap 
peared  the  greater,  on  account  of  the  ignorance  and  superstition 
of  these  people;  who,  no  doubt,  would  have  attributed  a  different 
turn  of  the  disease  to  the  exposure  encountered  in  baptism. 
May  the  22d,  1839,  Miss  Elizabeth  F.  Churchill  arrived, 


558 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


under  an  appointment  of  the  board  to  missionary  service,  and 
located  at  the  Shawanoe  mission  house.  About  the  same  time, 
the  Rev.  Francis  Barker,  who  had  been  about  a  year  and  a  half 
on  the  western  frontiers,  near  the  Indians,  received  an  appoint 
ment  as  a  missionary,  and  made  his  residence  at  the  Shawanoe 
station. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  the  anniversary  of  American  Independ 
ence,  a  temperance  meeting  was  numerously  attended,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Mr.  Simerwell,  among  the  Putawatomies,  and  a  tem 
perance  dinner  prepared  by  the  contributions  of  sundry  white 
and  red  people  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  meeting  heard  some 
excellent  speeches  upon  the  subject  of  abstinence  from  intoxi 
cating  drinks,  several  of  which  were  from  Indians.  A.  L. 
Davis,  Esq.,  United  States'  agent,  gave  them  a  good  speech, 
but  which  was  not  superior  to  one  delivered  by  Luther  Rice, 
alias  Noaquett,  a  full-blooded  Indian.  On  the  18th  of  August, 
two  Putawatomies  were  baptized,  one  of  whom  was  a  respect 
able  chief. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1838,  two  Delawares,  returning 
to  their  homes  from  a  hunting  party,  with  three  horses  loaded 
with  peltries  and  furs,  were  robbed  and  murdered  by  the  Otoes. 
The  Delawares,  in  the  spring  of  the  present  year,  were  organ 
izing  a  war  party,  to  avenge  themselves  on  the  Otoes,  when  I 
invited  the  chiefs  into  a  conference,  and  prevailed  on  them  to 
suspend  further  movements  towards  hostilities,  until  their  case 
could  be  made  known  to  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs,  at 
Washington,  and  an  answer  obtained.  I  wrote  without  delay, 
and  received  an  answer  which  did  credit  to  the  heads  and  hearts 
of  those  who  manage  Indian  affairs  in  that  Department,  in  view 
of  collisions  between  the  tribes  of  which  they  are  the  national 
guard'ians. 

On  the  23d  of  October,  I  had  so  far  recovered  from  a  severe 
illness,  that  I  was  able  to  read  to  a  delegation  of  six  Delawares 
the  communication  from  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs.  They 
were  much  gratified  with  what  they  heard  in  reference  to  the 
measures  which  Government  would  pursue  in  such  cases,  to 
make  restitution  to  the  sufferers  for  past  injuries,  and  to  prevent 
future  aggressions,  and  resolved  not  to  take  justice  into  their 
own  hands,  but  to  await  the  action  of  Government  in  their 
behalf. 

In  the  latter  part  of  October,  I  directed  the  location  of  a  party 
of  immigrant  Chippewas  from  Michigan,  and  early  in  November 
I  gave  direction  to  a  tour  of  exploration,  by  N.  Boilvin,  Esq., 
made  with  a  view  to  the  future  and  permanent  location  of  the 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


559 


Winnebagoes.  Though  scarcely  able  to  go  abroad,  on  account 
of  my  late  sickness,  I  spent  seven  clays  in  the  wilderness  at  the 
commencement  of  this  tour.  With  the  view  of  selecting  a  loca 
tion  for  their  tribe,  a  delegation  of  five  Wyandauts,  from  Ohio, 
visited  the  Indian  territory,  and  arrived  at  my  place  on  the  25th 
of  July,  of  this  year. '  They  were  inclined  to  choose  a  location 
embracing  portions  of  the  lands  of  the  Shawanoes  and  Dela- 
wares,  provided  it  could  be  obtained.  They,  however,  returned 
without  any  definite  action  on  the  subject.  On  the  7th  of  No 
vember,  another  delegation,  consisting  of  seven  Wyandauts, 
arrived  on  the  same  business.  About  the  same  time,  the  De 
partment  of  Indian  Affairs  informed  me  that  the  Hon.  W.  H. 
Hunter,  of  Ohio,  had  been  appointed  a  commissioner  to  aid  in 
these  negotiations,  in  which  I  was  required  to  assist.  Before 
the  arrival  of  the  commissioner,  the  Wyandaut  delegation  mani 
fested  an  inclination  to  return  to  their  people,  but  were  prevailed 
on  to  remain.  The  negotiations  were  terminated  in  December. 
For  a  given  sum,  to  be  paid  by  the  United  States,  the  Shawa 
noes  agreed  to  cede,  for  a  residence  for  the  Wyandauts,  fifty-six 
thousand  acres  of  land.  The  Delawares  also  have  said  they 
would  cede  for  the  same  object  about  twelve  thousand  acres ; 
hence  it  is  probable  that  the  Wyandauts  will,  ere  long,  be  set 
tled  adjoining  the  Shawanoes  and  Delawares. 

A  band  of  Stockbridge  Indians  in  Wisconsin  Territory,  ori- 
ginfally  from  the  State  of  New- York,  treated  with  the  United 
States  in  the  month  of  September,  and  sold  half  their  land,  and 
about  one-half  of  them  agreed  to  remove  to  the  West.  These, 
anticipating  the  ratification  of  their  treaty  by  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States,  emigrated  on  their  own  resources,  and  reached 
the  Delaware  country  in  December.  They  removed,  under  a 
belief  that  Government  was  prepared  to  give  them  land,  and 
immediately  on  their  arrival  called  on  me  to  ascertain  where 
they  could  obtain  a  suitable  location,  when  it  appeared  that  in 
their  treaty  there  was  no  stipulation  providing  a  home  for  them. 
They  are  somewhat  related  to  the  Delawares,  and  they  applied 
to  them  for  permission  to  settle  on  their  lands,  which  was 
granted,  upon  the  condition  that  the  United  States  would  add 
somewhat  to  their  tract.  The  Stockbridges  then  applied  to  me 
to  endeavour  to  get  an  amendment  made  to  their  treaty,  by  the 
United  States'  Senate,  to  provide  land,  as  desired  by  them  and 
the  Delawares.  The  two  parties  propose  to  occupy  the  same 
tract  in  common,  and  that  the  Stockbridge  shall  become  merged 
in  the  Delaware  tribe.  Among  these  late  immigrants  are  seve 
ral  who  are  pious,  and  the  brethren  Lykins,  Barker,  and  Blan- 


560 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


chard,  have  established  religious  meetings  among  them  in  their 
encampment  in  the  wilderness,  the  exercises  of  which  have 
been  very  satisfactory. 

Henry  Skiggett,  a  Delaware,  who  laboured  as  a  missionary 
some  time  among  his  people,  afterwards  visited  the  Stockbridges 
in  Wisconsin,  the  principal  chief  of  whom  is  his  uncle.  Some 
uneasiness  on  his  account  was  felt  when  he  left  our  country, 
lest,  becoming  separated  from  us,  and  liable  to  fall  into  irre 
ligious  society,  he  might  sustain  damage  as  a  Christian;  He 
came  with  the  late  immigrants,  and,  to  our  great  satisfaction,  he 
appeared  to  have  grown  in  grace,  and  increased  in  zeal  and  use 
fulness.  In  Wisconsin  he  found  one  of  his  people,  named 
Nevvcom,  who  was  also  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  with 
whom  he  united  in  sustaining  public  religious  meetings  amon^ 
the  Stockbridges ;  and  on  their  journey  they  had  prayers  and 
other  religious  exercises,  whenever  the  situation  of  the  party 
admitted. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Condition  of  affairs  at  the  dose  of  1839.  Puncahs.  Omahcts. 
Station  abandoned.  Pawnees.  Otoes.  loivays.  Sauks.  Kick- 
apoos.  Kauzaus.  Delawares.  Shawanocs.  Books  printed. 
Ottawas.  Weas  and  Piankashas.  Peorias  and  Kaskas- 
kias.  Putaw  atomies.  Osages.  Quapaivs.  Senecas  and 
Shawanoes.  Creeks.  Cherokees.  Choctaws.  Obligation  of 
the  Baptists. 

In  this  chapter  I  shall  proceed  with  the  tribes  geographically, 
beginning  with  the  most  northern. 

The  Puncah  is  a  small  tribe  of  about  eight  hundred  souls, 
of  the  Omaha  family,  residing  near  the  Missouri  river,  on  the 
northern  extremity  of  the  Indian  territory.  Their  condition  is 
similar  to  that  of  the  Omahas,  and  is  unimproved.  They  have 
never  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  a  missionary,  and  have  been  too 
long  neglected. 

The  Omaha  tribe  consists  of  about  fourteen  hundred  souls. 
Their  settlement  is  on  the  Missouri  river,  about  eighty  miles 
above  where  it  receives  the  Great  Platte  river.  Like  all  rude 
tribes  in  the  wilderness,  they  have  received  from  the  whites 
some  guns,  iron  tools,  cooking  vessels,  and  clothing.  Neverthe 
less,  their  minds  and  their  habits  may  be  said  to  be  unimproved. 
Their  intercourse  with  traders  has,  no  doubt,  rendered  obsta- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


561 


cles  to  their  improvement  more  formidable  than  they  were  be 
fore  their  acquaintance  with  white  men.  They  cultivate  a 
small  amount  of  vegetables,  but  rely  chiefly  upon  the  chase  for 
subsistence.  A  hunting  tour  of  about  two  months  is  made  by 
them,  in  quest  of  buffalo,  in  the  early  part  of  the  warm  season 
of  the  year,  and  another  in  the  latter  part.  At  these  times, 
few,  and  frequently,  none,  are  left  remaining  in  the  villages.  To 
avoid  surprise  by  an  enemy,  they  proceed  with  great  caution 
and  some  order,  usually  in  two  or  three  lines,  fifty  or  one  hun 
dred  yards  apart.  Spies  are  kept  in  advance,  to  look  out  for  a 
lurking  foe,  and  to  descry  the  buffalo  before  the  animal  becomes 
affrighted.* 

Their  houses  are  constructed  of  earth,  circular,  and  in  form 
of  a  cone,  the  wall  of  which  is  about  two  feet  in  thickness,  and 
is  sustained  by  wooden  pillars  within.  The  floor  is  the  earth, 
and  is  usually  sunk  about  two  feet  below  the  surrounding  sur 
face  ;  the  smoke  escapes  through  an  aperture  in  the  centre, 
which  answers  the  double  purpose  of  chimney  and  window. 
The  door  is  low  and  narrow,  and  closed  by  suspending  in  it  the 
skin  of  an  animal.  An  enclosed  entry,  extending  from  the  door 
proper  six  or  eight  feet,  is  sometimes  made,  which  adds  much 
to  the  warmth  of  the  dwelling  within.  These  houses  are  des 
titute  of  chair,  table,  or  bedstead.  The  inmates  coil  about  a 
fire,  on  mats  of  flags,  or  skins  of  animals.  Regularity  of  time 
is  not  observed  in  preparing  and  participating  of  food.  They 
manufacture  no  cloth,  do  not  enclose  cultivated  lands  with  fences, 
keep  no  other  live  stock  than  horses,  which  are  not  applied  to 
draught.  There  are  treaty  stipulations,  by  which  the  United 
States'  Government  is  required  to  afford  them  some  assistance 
in  relation  to  agriculture,  smithery,  education,  &c.,  by  which 
they  have  not  yet  profited. 

Mr.  Curtis,  who  went  among  the  Omahas  in  1837,  contrary 
to  what  had  been  requested  and  expected,  and  for  reasons  not 
known  to  us,  made  his  location  about  twelve  miles  from  the 
people  of  his  charge.  He  remained  at  his  station  a  few  months, 
and  left  it  without  having  accomplished  any  thing.  The  build 
ings,  which  cost  the  board  of  missions  a  thousand  dollars,  have 
been  left  without  an  occupant,  in  an  uninhabited  desert.  This 
is  the  unpleasant  condition  of  this  station,  after  nine  years' effort 
of  some  of  the  missionaries  to  put  it  iiato  operation.  The  pros 
pect  of  doing  much  good  there,  with  little  cost  to  benevolent 
societies,  has  always  been  and  still  is  good,  provided  energetic 

*  For  an  account  of  a  buffalo  hunt,  see  pages  355 — 6. 
71 


5G2 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


and  devoted  missionaries  could  be  found  willing  to  labour  there. 
Mr.  Curtis,  and  Mrs.  Curtis,  who  is  an  amiable  woman,  and  a 
devout  Christian,  are  still  residing  in  those  remote  regions,  near 
the  junction  of  the  Missouri  and  the  Great  Platte  rivers,  but  not 
in  an  Indian  settlement,  and  receiving  no  support  either  from 
the  board  of  missions  or  from  the  Government.  He  is  not  exert 
ing  any  influence  upon  matters  beneficial  to  the  Indians. 

The  Pawnee  tribe  is  on  the  Great  Platte  river,  about  one  hun 
dred  miles  from  its  junction  with  the  Missouri  river.  Their 
number  is  usually  estimated  at  ten  thousand  souls,  and  their 
condition  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Omahas.  By  treaty  with  the 
United  States,  they  are  entitled  to  smitheries,  and  agriculturists 
to  aid  them,  live  stock,  mills,  &c.,  and  some  provision  is  also 
made  for  educational  purposes. 

It  was  in  1827  that  the  Baptists  made  the  first  effort  with 
the  Government  of  the  United  States  to  make  an  arrangement 
for  establishing  a  mission  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Pawnees,  and 
which  was  designed  for  their  benefit,  and  that  of  other  tribes 
near.  The  commencement  of  the  stations  among  the  Otoes 
and  Omahas  was  in  accordance  with  this  design.  For  the  Paw 
nees,  with  twelve  years'  effort,  we  have  found  no  Baptist  mis 
sionary  willing  to  labour.  Two  Presbyterian  missionaries,  viz  : 
Messrs.  Dunbar  and  Allis,  with  their  wives,  have  undertaken  a 
mission  for  this  tribe,  under  the  patronage  of  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions.  In  1824,  the 
male  missionaries  mingled  with  the  people  of  their  charge,  but 
subsequently  they  took  temporary  residences  on  the  bank  of 
the  Missouri  river,  one  hundred  miles  from  them.  The  mis 
sionaries  have  qualified  themselves  for  future  usefulness  by  the 
acquisition  of  the  Pawnee  language,  but  have  not  been  able  to 
impart  any  benefits  to  the  tribe.  This,  for  the  last  fifteen  years, 
has  been  an  inviting  field  for  missionary  labours. 

The  Otoes  number  about  sixteen  hundred  souls.  They  re 
side  on  the  Great  Platte  river,  and  a  few  miles  only  from  its 
junction  with  the  Missouri.  Until  lately,  their  condition  did  not 
differ  from  that  of  the  Omahas  and  Pawnees.  Since  the  es 
tablishment  of  the  Otoe  mission,  some  indications  of  a  spirit  of 
improvement  have  been  seen  among  them.  By  treaty  stipula 
tions,  the  United  States  have  provided  for  their  assistance  in 
agriculture,  smithery,  schools,  &c. ;  these  have  been  partially 
applied,  and  not  without  success.  Some  of  the  Otoes  have 
been  encouraged  to  use  more  industry  in  agriculture  than  for 
merly.  It  would  be  difficult  to  repress  a  smile  at  the  awkward- 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


563 


ness  of  rude  man,  even  while  the  tear  of  pity  and  good  will 
would  steal  over  the  cheek,  to  see  the  Otoe  chief  holding  the 
handles  of  his  plough,  while  his  wife  or  child  led  the  horse. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merrill  have  both  acquired  a  pretty  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  Otoe  language,  and  they  impart  religious  in 
structions  without  an  interpreter.  The  Indians  give  pleasing 
attention  to  preaching  when  they  are  in  their  villages,  which 
unfortunately,  as*  it  happens  with  all  uncultivated  tribes,  is  but 
a  small  portion  of  the  year.  Little  has  yet  been  done  in  rela 
tion  to  instruction  in  the  English  language.  About  thirty-six, 
chiefly  young  men,  receive  instruction  in  reading  in  the  Otoe 
language,  while  they  are  within  the  reach  of  the  place,  to  whom 
boarding  in  part  is  furnished  by  the  mission. 

A  temperance  society  has  been  formed  among  the  Otoes,  of 
which  thirty-six  of  that  tribe  became  members.  We  fear  that 
the  history  of  the  society  will  testify  more  honourably  to  the 
zeal  of  the  missionaries  than  to  the  fidelity  of  the  members. 
Nevertheless,  as  missionaries  to  the  Indians  never  find  water 
in  which  they  can  lie  upon  their  oars,  but  are  accustomed  to 
row  against  strong  currents  antl  contrary  winds,  zeal  in  this  case, 
with  the  blessing  of  God,  may  accomplish  much. 

Humanly  speaking,  nothing  seems  to  be  wanting  to  ensure  a 
good  degree  of  success,  but  the  addition  of  more  missionaries  of 
zeal  equal  to  that  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merrill.  Both  of  these 
missionaries  have  suffered  not  a  little  from  ill  health,  and  there 
is  too  much  reason  to  fear  that  Mr.  Merrill's  declining  health 
will  soon  bring  him  to  the  grave. 

When  I  first  came  to  this  country,  in  1828,  the  Puncahs, 
Ornahas,  Pawnees,  and  Otoes,  were  almost  strangers  to  the  use 
of  intoxicating  drink.  At  this  time,  vast  quantities  of  whiskey 
are  consumed  among  them.  In  the  summer  of  this  year,  1839, 
fifty  barrels  of  alcohol  were  rolled  off  a  steamboat  at  one  time, 
and  deposited  in  a  cellar  at  a  trading  house  on  the  northwest 
bank  of  the  Missouri,  above  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Platte  river. 
Spirits  are  commonly  transported  to  the  remote  tribes,  in  the 
form  of  alcohol,  in  order  to  save  cost,  and  is  afterwards  diluted 
-for  use.  Taking  the  above  instance  of  deposite,  as  a  sample  of 
the  many  which  occur  in  those  regions,  what  floods  of  this  de 
stroying  liquor  are  those  wretched  savages  drenched  with  in  the 
course  of  a  twelve  month  !  The  extent  of  the  evils  thus  pro 
duced  could  only  be  learned  from  a  history  of  the  infernal 
regions.  Where  are  the  laws  forbidding  the  introduction  of 
ardent  spirits  into  the  Indian  country  ?  Where  are  the  officers 
of  Government  who  have  been  stationed  in  the  Indian  country 


564 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


for  the  purpose  of  preventing  infractions  of  law  ?  Where  are 
the  bonds  which  traders  give,  with  sureties  and  heavy  penalties, 
by  which  they  bind  themselves  to  obey  the  laws  of  the  United 
States  ?  Such  mockery  of  law  and  justice  might  well  produce 
a  blush  upon  the  cheek  of  every  citizen  of  the  United  States. 
Of  this  murderous  traffic,  one  cannot  think  without  horror,  nor 
speak  without  indignation,  tempting  him  to  transcend  the  bounds 
of  moderation.  We  talk  of  Indians  being  distressed  and  de 
stroyed  by  war  ;  but  we  destroy  them  much  faster  in  times  of 
peace  than  in  times,  of  war.  If  the  bloody  history  of  the  Span 
iards  in  the  West-Indies  and  Mexico,  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
is  revolting  to  the  feelings  of  the  reader,  what  must  we  say  of 
our  own  countrymen,  in  this  nineteenth  century  1  They  mur 
dered  by  slavery  in  the  mines,  or  by  cross-bows  and  blood 
hounds  ;  but  we  murder  by  poison,  which,  if  more  slow  in  its 
effects,  is  more  insidious,  and  certain,  and  dreadful.  And  can 
no  remedy  be  found  ?  If  the  laws  of  Congress  cannot  reach 
the  case,  and  arrest  the  destroyer,  cannot  Christians  come  and 
arm  the  sufferers  with  the  doctrines  and  influences  of  the  Bible, 
by  which  they  will  be  rendered  invulnerable  to  these  satanic 
assaults?  There  can  be  no  other  remedy  than  this.  Laws 
cannot  effect  a  cure  of  the  evil,  because  they  cannot  be  execu 
ted.  By  the  introduction  of  civil  institutions,  the  Indians  must 
be  taught  to  love  life,  and  respect  themselves,  and  by  an  ac 
quaintance  with  the  Bible  be  made  to  love  holiness  and  practise 
it ;  until  the  salutary  influence  of  these  principles  shall  predomi 
nate,  they  will  be  exposed  to  their  fell  destroyer.  Here,  then, 
upon  Christians  rests  an  awful  responsibility.  Can  they  withhold 
their  help  and  be  innocent?  Were  it  practicable,  this  interroga 
tory  should  be  extended  to  every  Christian, of  every  denomina 
tion,  in  the  United  States,  and  urged  with  the  ardour  which  the 
contemplation  of  eternal  things  inspires. 

The  lowas  number  about  one  thousand  souls  ;  they  reside  on 
the  Missouri  river.  Their  condition  and  habits  are  slightly  im 
proved.  Government,  by  virtue  of  treaty  stipulations,  is  afford 
ing  them  some  assistance  in  the  erection  of  dwellings  and  mills, 
the  fencing  and  ploughing  of  land,  in  live  stock,  schools,  &c.  A 
Presbyterian  mission  has  been  established  among  them,  under 
the  patronage  of  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society, 
the  good  effects  of  which  have  been  felt  by  the  tribe,  though 
in  a  small  degree.  From  this  mission,  two  excellent  mission 
aries,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ballard,  have  lately  retired,  and  it  is  at 
present  in  charge  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hamilton,  Mr.  Irving,  Mr. 
Bradley,  and  their  wives. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  565 

The  Sauks  are  about  five  hundred  in  number,  being  only  a 
branch  of  the  Sauk  nation.  They  are  located  within  a  mile  of 
the  loways,  and  are  in  a  similar  condition.  They  are  also  deriving 
some  benefit  from  the  United  States'  Government,  by  virtue  of 
treaty  stipulations  for  assistance  in  improving  lands,  schools,  &c. 

The  Kickapoos  are  about  forty  miles  lower  down  the  Mis 
souri  river,  and  number  about  four  hundred  souls.  Their 
circumstances  are  more  comfortable  and  their  habits  more  im 
proved  than  those  of  the  lowas  and  Sauks.  It  may  be  said 
that  many  of  them  are  becoming  agriculturists :  they  keep  live 
stock,  and  apply  horses  and  oxen  to  draught.  Government'has 
assisted  them  materially  in  these  improvements,  and  is  still 
assisting  them.  The  Methodists  have  a  mission  among  them 
upon  a  small  scale,  under  the  management  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Berryman  ;  and  the  Catholics,  also,  have  a  small  establishment. 

The  Kauzaus  are  estimated  atseventeen  hundred  and  fifty  souls. 
Their  villages  are  on  the  Kauzau  river,  about  one  hundred  miles 
from  its  junction  with  the  Missouri.  By  treaty  stipulations,  the 
United  States'  Government  has  promised  to  afford  them  assist 
ance  in  agriculture,  schools,  &;c.  From  these  provisions  they 
have  derived  some,  though  not  much  benefit.  Their  condition, 
until  very  lately,  was  similar  to  that  of  the  Pawnees  and  Oma- 
has.  Recently,  a  few  have  made  some  hopeful  efforts  at  agri 
culture.  The  Methodists  have  a  mission  among  them,  recently 
established,  and  upon  a  small  scale;  the  Rev.  W.  Johnson,  mis 
sionary.  Here  is  a  favourable  opening  for  more  missionary 
efforts. 

The  Delawares  are  in  the  upper  angle  formed  by  the  junction 
of  the  Missouri  and  Kauzau  rivers.  Their  number  is  stated  at 
nine  hundred  and  twenty-one.  Many  of  the  tribe  are  scattered 
in  other  sections  of  country.  These  are  considerably  advanced 
in  civilization,  and  are  advancing  with  an  increasing  ratio  of  im 
provement.  They  are  pretty  well  supplied  with  cattle,  horses, 
and  swine ;  generally  live  in  neatly  hewn  log  houses,  though 
small,  and  without  much  furniture  within ;  have  farms  enclosed 
with  good  rail  fences,  and  enjoy  a  comfortable  supply  of  sub 
sistence- throughout  the  year.  Their  minds  and  morals  are  also 
improving.  Government  has  assisted  them,  and  will  continue 
to  do  so  for  many  years,  in  improving  their  circumstances.  The 
Methodists  have  had  a  mission  among  them  several  years,  and 
the  United  Brethren  (Moravians)  have  recently  transplanted  a 
mission  of  theirs  among  them  from  Canada  to  this  place.  The 
Baptist  station  may  be  said  to  be  prosperous.  On  the  7th  of 
July,  1839,  two  intelligent  Dejawares  of  influence  were  bap- 


566  HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 

tized.  Religious  worship  is  usually  pretty  well  attended ;  and 
also  instruction  in  reading,  to  a  limited  extent,  both  in  English 
and  Indian,  is  imparted  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blanchard,  and  Miss 
Case.  Here,  also,  missionaries  are  needed. 

The  Shawanoes  in  the  territory  are  reckoned  at  eight  hun 
dred  and  twenty-three.  Some  of  the  nation  are  in  other  coun 
tries.  They  live  on  the  south  side  of  the  Kauzau  river.  My 
wife  and  I  hail  from  the  Baptist  station  in  this  tribe,  though  our 
business  relates  to  every  tribe.  Our  connection  with  the  Gene 
ral  (Missionary)  Convention  has  never  been  changed  from  the 
first,  excepting  that  within  the  last  ten  years  we  have  been  at 
liberty  to  act,  in  many  matters,  upon  our  own  responsibility,  in 
which  cases  the  board  is  not  accountable,  either  in  regard  to  the 
propriety  of  the  measure,  or  the  cost  that  may  be  occasioned. 
We  support  ourselves,  but  should  our  resources  (which  are  our 
earnings  in  the  service  of  the  Government)  fail,  as  they  proba 
bly  will,  our  claims  upon  the  board  for  support  will  be  similar 
to  those  of  other  missionaries. 

The  condition  of  the  Indians  is  so  closely  connected  with  the 
affairs  of  the  Government,  that,  in  order  to  procure  facilities 
essential  to  a  successful  prosecution  of  missions,  it  has  appeared 
necessary  for  some  one  to  approach  a  little  nearer  to  political 
matters,  than  was  strictly  proper  for  a  missionary  society ;  and 
in  making  these  advances  beyond  the  proper  sphere  of  the 
society,  prudence  suggested  that  the  latter  should  not  become 
liable  to  either  cost  or  blame.  All  the  advantages,  however, 
which  these  efforts  produce,  are  secured  to  the  board's  missions. 
We  act  in  concert  with  other  missionaries,  and  in  harmony  with 
the  views  and  designs  of  the  board. 

The  station  has  suffered  much  on  account  of  the  poor  health 
of  the  missionaries.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt  laboured  under  diffi 
culties  of  this  character,  especially  the  latter,  whose  symptoms 
of  diseased  lungs  became  so  alarming,  that  they  deemed  it  expe 
dient  to  return  to  her  kindred  in  New-England,  respecting  the 
propriety  of  which  measure  their  nearer  neighbouring  mission 
ary  brethren  concurred  in  opinion.  We  feel  sensibly  the  loss 
of  these  young  missionaries,  especially  in  the  printing  depart 
ment,  in  which  Mr.  Pratt's  place  has  not  yet  been  supplied,  and 
follow  them  with  our  prayers  that  they  may  yet  be  spared  to 
promote  the  interests  of  the  Indians,  to  which  they  had  ardently 
devoted  themselves  at  the  commencement  of  their  career  in 
useful  life.  All  deeply  regret  the  suspension  of  the  operations 
of  the  press,  and  the  board  have  resolved  to  furnish  another 
printer  as  early  as  possible.  The  general  health  of  Mr.  and 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


567 


Mrs.  Lykins  is  not  good — hers,  especially,  is  poor.  In  the  lat 
ter  part  of  May,  the  scarlet  fever  made  its  appearance  in  the 
neighbourhood,  and  each  of  them  and  their  children  suffered  so 
severely,  that  they  could  scarcely  leave  their  house  for  five 
months.  Mr.  Barker  and  Miss  Churchill  have  also  suffered  by 
sickness.  On  these  accounts,  little  has  been  done  among  the 
Shawanoes  during  many  months.  On  the  23d  of  October,  Mr. 
Barker  and  Miss  Churchill  were  united  in  marriage.  They  are 
now  collecting  a  school,  with  the  prospect  of  success ;  and  the 
operations  of  the  station,  excepting  the  printing  department,  are 
evidently  improving.  In  my  own  family  some  one  was  suffering 
with  fevers,  mostly  of  alarming  type,  from  the  middle  of  July 
until  about  the  first  of  December.  At  one  time,  Mrs.  McCoy's 
recovery  could  scarcely  be  hoped  for,  and  mine,  during  many 
weeks,  was  almost  despaired  of. 

By  means  of  the  press,  the  Shawanoe  station  has  possessed 
advantages  superior  to  any  other,  in  imparting  substantial  bene 
fits  to  the  Indians.  There  have  been  printed  in  the  Delaware 
language  four  books,  three  of  which  were  small,  and  one  large; 
the  latter  being  a  Harmony  of  the  Gospels,  originally  compiled 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Zeisberger,  of  the  Moravian  church,  now  re 
vised  by  Mr.  Blanchard.  In  Shawanoe,  three  books  have  been 
printed,  and  part  of  the  Gospel  by  Matthew.  A  second  edition 
of  one  of  these  books  has  been  printed ;  also,  one  book  in  Sha 
wanoe,  for  the  Methodists.  In  Putawatomie,  four  books  have 
been  printed ;  in  Otoe  three,  all  small,  one  of  which  has  been 
reprinted  for  the  use  of  the  Presbyterians  among  the  loways ; 
in  Choctaw,  one  book;  in  Muscogee,  (Creek,)  one  school  book, 
and  the  Gospel  by  John ;  in  Osage,  one ;  in  Kauzau,  one  for 
the  Methodists,  and  in  Wea,  one  for  the  Presbyterians ;  in  Ot 
tawa,  twov;  besides  a  considerable  number  of  hymns  in  different 
languages,  not  included  in  the  above  list.  All  of  the  above 
were  upon  the  new  system.  Also,  three  numbers  of  the  Annual 
Register  of  Indian  Affairs,  and  one  number  of  Periodical  Ac 
count  of  Baptist  Missions;  besides  which,  there  was  issued, 
until  late  difficulties  occasioned  a  suspension,  a  small  monthly 
paper,  of  only  a  quarter  sheet,  edited  by  Mr.  Lykins,  entitled 
"  Shawanowe  Kesauthwau" — Shawanoe  Sun. 

These  people,  like  the  Delawares,  are  advancing  in  civiliza 
tion,  and  are  in  similar  circumstances,  possibly  a  little  in  advance 
of  their  neighbours.  They  also  receive  help  from  the  Govern 
ment,  by  virtue  of  treaty  provisions.  The  Methodists  and 
Friends  (Quakers)  have  each  a  mission  among  them?  the 
former  under  the  superintendence  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  John- 


568 


HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST 


son,  arid  the  latter  under  the  management  of  Friend  Moses 
Pearson. 

The  Ottawa  settlements  commence  about  thirty  miles  west 
of  the  State  of  Missouri.  Only  three  hundred  and  fifty  have 
yet  reached  this  country.  They  receive  help  in  improvement 
from  the  Government  of  the  United  States ;  they  are  not  quite 
so  far  advanced  in  civilization  as  the  Delawares  and  Shawanoes, 
but  the  indications  of  increasing  industry  and  economy  among 
them  presage  a  rapid  rise  to  a  prosperous  condition.  Mr. 
Meeker  has  a  small  school,  in  which  instruction  is  imparted  in 
the  English  language,  and  he  receives  pretty  good  attention  to 
preaching.  David  Green,  an  Ottawa,  who  has  been  baptized 
within  the  last  two  years,  takes  a  part  in  the  performance  of 
public  religious  exercises,  and  acquits  himself  much  to  the  satis 
faction  of  the  missionaries.  To  enable  him  to  employ  a  portion 
of  his  time  in  religious  labours,  some  of  the  nearer  missionaries 
made  a  contribution  of  money  from  their  means  of  support,  re 
spectively.  In  the  mean  time,  the  case  of  David  was  brought 
to  the  consideration  of  the  board  of  missions  by  Mr.  Meeker. 
The  board  resolved  to  patronise  him,  but  its  funds  being  low, 
an  amount  sufficient  only  to  enable  him  to  employ  one-third  of 
his  time  in  missionary  labours  has  as  yet  been  allowed  him.  It 
is  hoped  that  this  circumstance  will  not  be  long  known  by  a 
benevolent  public,  before  it  will  furnish  the  means  to  enable  this 
promising  young  man  to  employ  all  his  time  in  preaching  Christ 
to  his  countrymen. 

Part  of  a  small  band  denominated  Chippewas,  but  scarcely 
distinguishable  fromOttawas,  arrived  in  the  autumn  of  this  year, 
and  have  located  adjoining  the  Ottawas. 

The  Peorias  and  Kaskaskias  make  one  small  band  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-two  souls,  who  reside  on  the  east  of  the  Otta 
was.  Their  condition  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Ottawas,  and  is 
improving,  in  which  they  receive  help  from  the  Government  of 
the  United  Slates.  The  Methodists  have  a  mission  among  them. 

The  Weas  and  Piankashas  constitute  one  band,  computed  at 
three  hundred  and  sixty-three  souls,  resident  on  the  east  of  the 
Peorias,  and  adjoining  the  line  of  the  State  of  Missouri.  They 
are  also  aided  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  and  are 
in  circumstances  similar  to  the  Peorias  a'nd  Ottawas.  The  Pres 
byterians  had  a  mission  among  them,  but  abandoned  it  at  a  time 
when  its  usefulness  was  improving.  A  missionary,  who  could 
eonsent  to  locate  within  a  tribe  so  small  as  this,  would  here  find 
an  inviting  situation  for  usefulness.  These  four  bands  last 
named  are  of  the  Miamie  family,  and  the  main  body  of  that 


INDIAN  MISSIONS.  569 

tribe  is  expected  soon  to  locate  by  the  side  of  these  bands. 
This  event  will  enlarge  the  field  of  labour.  Our  missionary 
efforts  in  1817  commenced  among  the  Miamies;  and  when,  for 
want  of  missionaries,  we  were  compelled  to  discontinue  our  la 
bours  among  them,  our  regrets  were  augmented  by  their  entrea 
ties  that  we  would  not  forsake  them.  It  would  be  exceedingly 
gratifying  if  missionaries  could  be  found  willing  to  labour  among 
these  people.  They  would  enter  upon  the  work  with  the  pros 
pect  (under  the  blessing  of  Heaven)  of  repairing  the  desolations 
of  many  years,  by  which  a  once  powerful  tribe  has  been  brought 
to  the  brink  of  destruction. 

The  Putawatomies  adjoin  the  bands  last  mentioned ;  only 
about  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty  have  yet  emigrated  to  this  place. 
They  have  but  recently  arrived,  and  have  not  had  time  to  make 
themselves  as  comfortable  as  the  Ottawas,  and  others  of  their 
neighbours.  As  a  whole,  they  are,  perhaps,  a  little  in  the  rear 
of  their  neighbours  in  civilization,  but  they  have  among  them 
more  men  of  talents,  education,  and  enterprise,  in  proportion  to 
numbers,  than  either  of  the  five  bands  last  mentioned.  Assist 
ance  to  a  considerable  extent,  in  the  common  improvements  of 
civilization  and  education,  has  been  secured  to  them  by  treaty, 
from  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  The  Methodists 
have  a  mission  among  them,  on  a  small  scale,  and  the  Catholics 
have  a  mission  in  which  two  priests  are  employed. 

The  Baptist  station,  transplanted  from  Michigan,  is  goinjj  into 
operation  here,  under  auspicious  circumstances.  A  small  school 
in  English  is  taught  a  portion  of  the  time,  and  some  instruction 
is  imparted  in  the  Indian  language.  The  missionaries  from  the 
nearer  stations  assist  Mr.  Simerwell,  and  attention  to  religious 
instruction  is  very  encouraging.  A  temperance  society  has  been 
formed,  the  Indian  members  of  which  have  increased  to  about 
sixty,  a  few  of  whom  are  Ottawas.  Permanent  and  comfortable 
mission  buildings  are  now  going  up,  under  the  superintendence 
of  Mr.  Lykins.  Missionary  associates  are  very  much  needed 
by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simerwell  in  their  arduous  labours.  They 
have  suffered  considerably  by  sickness. 

The  country  of  the  Osages  commences  twenty-five  miles 
west  of  the  State  of  Missouri.  They  number  five  thousand  five 
hundred  and  ten  souls,  and  in  regard  to  improvement  are  simi 
lar  to  the  Otoes.  No  tribe  has  been  so  much  neglected  by  the 
Government  of  the  United  States,  so  much  imposed  upon  by 
rapacious  traders,  or  so  grossly  traduced  by  both  white  and  red 
men,  as  this  wretched  people,  who  have  been  incapable  of 
72 


570  HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 

pleading  their  own  cause,  or  of  telling  their  own  story  of  suffer 
ings.  During  the  last  eleven  years,  they  have  presented  an 
inviting  field  for  missionary  effort,  which  might  be  entered  with 
the  prospect  of  imparting  much  benefit.  Government  has  at 
different  times  made  liberal  provisions  for  the  assistance  of  these 
people  in  improving  their  condition,  but  hitherto,  for  want  of 
regard  for  their  interests,  on  the  part  of  those  who  have  mingled 
with  them  for  the  purpose  of  applying  the  means  of  relief,  no 
benefit  of  consequence  has  been  afforded  them.  The  Baptists 
have  made  an  effort  to  establish  a  mission  among  them,  and  are 
hindered  only  by  a  want  of  missionaries.  The  Presbyterians 
had  missions  among  them,  but  they  have  been  abandoned. 

The  Quapaws,  southeast  of  the  Osages,  are  about  six  hundred 
in  number,  and  are  a  branch  of  the  latter,  separated  from  the 
body  many  years  since.  They  have  made  some  advances  in 
civilization,  and  are  assisted  by  the  Government  of  the  United 
States.  They  have  never  been  favoured  with  a  missionary; 
the  field,  though  small,  would  be  found  "  white  for  barvest." 

The  two  bands  denominated  Senecas,  and  Senecas  and  Sha- 
wanoes,  have  become  partly  blended  in  one.  Their  number  is 
four  hundred  and  sixty-one.  They  are  considerably  advanced 
in  civilization,  and  Government  helps  them  in  improving  their 
condition.  The  Methodists  undertook  a  mission  among  them, 
but  relinquished  it.  Here,  also,  a  missionary  would  find  encou 
ragement  to  labour,  though  his  sphere,  unless  extended  to  others 
immediately  adjoining,  would  be  small. 

The  Creeks  and  Seminoles  have  become  blended ;  their 
whole  number  is  computed  to  be  twenty-four  thousand  one 
hundred.  Their  country  commences  about  forty-five  miles  west 
of  the  State  of  Arkansas.  Many  of  these  may  properly  be 
denominated  civilized,  though  a  majority  fall  below  that  appel 
lation.  They  have  not  yet  recovered  from  the  damage  sustained 
by  emigration  ;  nevertheless,  their  prospects  of  becoming  com 
fortable,  and  of  improving  in  industry  and  virtue,  are  very  good. 
Considered  as  a  tribe,  they  are  in  these  respects  a  little  in  the 
rear  of  the  Cherokees  and  Choctaws.  By  treaty  provisions, 
the  United  States'  Government  is  bound  to  afford  them  assist 
ance  in  improvement,  schools,  &,c.  The  Presbyterians  and 
Methodists  have  had  missions  among  them,  but  have  relinquished 
them. 

No  mission  within  the  territory  has  been  more  favoured,  at 
times,  with  animating  prospects,  than  the  Baptist  mission  among 
these  people,  and  none  has  been  equally  subject  to  unexpected 
and  sudden  repulses.  Our  narrative  on  the  preceding  pages  leff 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


571 


Mr.  Kellam  and  Mr.  Mason,  and  their  wives,  on  their  way  to 
resume  the  labours  of  this  station,  as  formerly  pursued  ;  but 
new  difficulties  were  met,  and  neither  of  them  resumed  the 
occupancy  of  the  mission  buildings  of  the  first  station.  Mr. 
Kellam  took  up  his  residence  near  Mr.  Davis's,  which  is  an 
eligible  situation  for  usefulness,  and  Mr.  Mason  remained  for  the 
present  within  the  State  of  Arkansas.  The  former  retained  his 
commission  as  United  States'  school  teacher,  and  collected  a 
school,  which  he  instructed  in  English,  at  his  new  residence. 
Within  the  summer  of  this  year,  he  yielded  to  an  invitation  of 
the  United  States'  agent  for  the  Creeks,  and  returned  to  his 
former  residence  in  the  mission  house  at  the  first  station,  and 
left  his  school  on  Canadian  river  in  the  charge  of  Mr.  Davis, 
who  was  appointed  United  States'  school  teacher.  Thus  both 
stations  were  again  put  into  successful  operation.  Mr.  Davis 
has  married  a  second  wife,  which  circumstance,  it  is  hoped,  will 
relieve  him  from  many  domestic  cares  which  lately  were  a  great 
hinderance  to  his  usefulness ;  and  with  his  school  in  English, 
and  some  instruction  imparted  also  in  the  Creek  language,  there 
is  reason  to  hope  that  attention  to  his  preaching  will  be  improved. 
In  reference  to  this  mission,  we  are  reminded  of  what  has  else 
where  been  stated,  that  the  formidable  difficulties  which  attend 
the  management  of  Indian  affairs,  or  the  management  of  mis 
sions,  do  not  originate  with  the  Indians ;  it  is  the  influence  of 
white  men  about  them  that  occasions  the  serious  troubles. 
Painful  as  it  may  be,  the  reader  is  not  permitted  to  take  leave 
of  this  mission  without  being  told  that  it  is  again  under  a  cloud. 
Mr.  Kellam  had  not  long  occupied  the  mission  buildings,  to 
which  he  returned  from  the  vicinity  of  Mr.  Davis,  before  new 
disturbances  arose  between  him  and  one  of  his  white  neigh 
bours,  and  he  retired  to  the  white  settlements  in  the  State  of 
Arkansas.  An  effort  will  be  made  to  occupy  the  station  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason. 

The  Cherokee  country  adjoins  the  State  of  Arkansas  on  the 
north  of  the  river  of  the  same  name.  About  six  thousand  have 
been  several  years  resident  in  that  country,  and,  by  late  emigra 
tions,  their  number  has  increased  to  about  twenty-two  thousand. 
These  may  be  denominated  a  civilized  people,  though  less  civi 
lized,  taken  as  a  whole,  than  an  equal  number  of  white  citizens 
on  the  frontiers  of  our  new  States.  At  the  same  time,  there 
are  many  who  are  wealthy,  and  not  a  few  who  have  attained  a 
state  of  refinement  in  manners  which  would  render  them  re 
spectable  any  where  in  the  United  States.  They  have  some 


572 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


men  of  respectable  education,  and  a  still  greater  number  of  men 
whose  talents  would  not  suffer  by  comparison  with  talented  men 
of  our  nation,  and,  what  is  worth  more  than  all  things  else  which 
can  be  said  in  their  favour,  between  five  hundred  and  one  thou 
sand  are  believed  to  be  genuinely  pious. 

To  the  Cherokees,  also,  the  United  States  are  bound,  to  a 
considerable  extent,  to  furnish  assistance  in  their  march  of  im 
provement.  A  majority  of  them  have  recently  emigrated  to 
their  present  location,  a  few  of  whom  have  become  settled. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  in  June,  1839,  an  angry  dis 
cussion  occurred  in  a  general  council,  respecting  the  future 
organization  of  the  Cherokee  Government,  between  the  original 
settlers  (including  those  who  had  yielded  to  the  treaty  last  held 
between  them  and  the  United  States)  and  the  majority,  which 
embraced  the  later  immigrants.  The  parties  separated  with  un 
pleasant  feelings,  and  within  a  very  few  days,  John  Ridge,  Jun., 
John  Ridge,  Sen.,  and  Elias  Boudinot,  all  distinguished  men  of 
the  smaller  party,  were  murdered  under  shocking  circumstances. 
These  difficulties  are  yet  unsettled ;  on  which  account  we  shall 
leave  to  a  future  historian  the  task  of  stating  them  in  detail. 

The  Presbyterians  have  long  had  several  missionary  stations  in 
this  country,  the  most  extended  and  useful  of  which  is  Dwight; 
the  minister  at  which  is  Rev.  C.  Washburn,  who  is  associated 
with  Mr.  Orr,  and  Messrs.  J.  and  A.  Hitchcock.  Rev.  Messrs. 
Palmer  and  Worcester,  and  Mr.  Newton,  respectively,  occupy 
other  stations  in  the  Cherokee  country.  The  Dwight  station 
has  always  sustained  a  large  boarding  school,  which  has  given  to 
it  stability  of  character,  and  opened  the  way  to  every  part  of  the 
nation  for  imparting  religious  instruction,  by  preaching  and  other 
wise,  to  the  extent  of  the  whole  time  of  the  missionaries.  They 
have  a  printing  press  in  operation  at  one  of  their  stations.  The 
Methodists,  also,  have  missions  among  those  people. 

The  Baptist  mission  to  the  Cherokees  was  commenced  in 
their  original  residence,  on  the  east  of  the  Mississippi,  in  1817. 
The  first  missionary  was  Rev.  Thomas  Posey,  who  did  not  long 
continue  before  he  retired  from  missionary  labours,  as  did  also 
several  others  who  united  in  the  mission  soon  after  its  com 
mencement.  The  Rev.  Evan  Jones  persevered,  and  has  had 
the  happiness  of  reaping  a  rich  religious  harvest.  His  religious 
instructions  have  been  greatly  blest.  Two  Baptist  churches 
have  been  constituted,  which  embrace  more  than  five  hundred 
hopefully  pious  members,  and  among  them  several  native  preach 
ers,  the  most  noted  of  whom  is  Rev.  Jesse  Bushy  head. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


573 


The  spiritual  blessings  which  have  descended  upon  the  labours 
of  Mr.  Jones  and  his  native  coadjutors,  furnish  materials  for  an 
interesting  volume,  which  we  hope  will  not  be  long  withheld 
from  the  public.  The  members  of  the  church  belonged  to  the 
party  constituting  the  majority  of  the  nation,  and  opposed  to 
emigration  to  the  West.  The  aversion  of  the  party  to  removal 
being  so  great  that  they  made  no  preparation  to  depart  until 
compelled  by  the  presence  of  the  United  States'  troops,  there 
was  reason  to  fear  that  in  the  vexations  and  calamities  of  this 
world  they  would  think  little  about  preparing  for  the  next,  and 
that  even  Christians  might  lose  much  of  their  spiritual-minded- 
ness.  But  it  was  not  so.  Up  to  the  time  of  their  assemblage 
for  removal,  the  labours  of  Mr.  Jones  and  Mr.  Bushyhead  were 
blest  with  improving  success.  Attendance  on  preaching  im 
proved,  Christians  became  more  zealous  and  united,  and  con 
versions  and  baptisms  more  frequent;  and  after  they  were  assem 
bled  in  encampments,  necessarily  under  many  sufferings  of  body, 
rich  blessings  continued  to  descend  on  their  souls,  considerable 
numbers  were  baptized,  and  comfortable  communion  seasons 
enjoyed. 

Mr.  Jones  and  Mr.  Bushyhead  were  each  made  conductor 
of  a  party  of  Cherokees.  The  former,  after  accompanying  his 
people  to  their  country,  in  the  Indian  territory,  returned  to  the 
east  side  of  the  Mississippi,  and  whether  he  will  again  resume 
his  labours  among  the  Cherokees  is  yet  undetermined.  But 
his  loss  to  that  people  would  be  great,  and  it  is  hoped  that  they 
will  be  favoured  with  a  continuation  of  his  useful  ministry.  Mr. 
Bushyhead  continues  his  labours  among  his  people  in  their  new 
home,  in  which  he  is  assisted  by  his  native  brethren,  John 
Wickliffe,  Oganaya,  Dsusawala,  Doyanungheeskee,  and  Oole- 
dastee. 

The  Choc-taws  are  estimated  at  fifteen  thousand,  and  are 
the  most  southern  tribe ;  they  adjoin  the  State  of  Arkansas  on 
the  east,  and  Texas  on  the  south  and  west.  The  Chicka- 
savv  tribe,  numbering  five  thousand  five  hundred,  is  merged  with 
the  Choctavv,  making  the  whole  number  twenty  thousand  five 
hundred.  These  are  justly  entitled  to  the  appellation  of  a  civi 
lized  people.  Before  the  late  difficulties,  the  Cherokee  nation 
was  allowed  to  be  in  advance  of  all  others.  But  the  Choctaws 
having  had  time,  since  their  settlement  in  their  permanent  home, 
to  organize  their  civil  government  judiciously,  must  be  said  to 
be,  at  this  time,  in  advance  of  every  other  tribe.  We  say  more: 
No  Indian  tribe,  since  the  discovery  of  America  by  white  men, 


574 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


except  the  Choctaw,  has  fully  exchanged  the  savage  customs 
for  the  institutions  of  civil  government.  Their  existence,  as  a 
civilized  community,  is  in  its  incipient  stages.  Nevertheless, 
the  foundation  appears  to  be  permanently  laid,  for  the  promotion 
of  civilization,  to  the  entire  exclusion  of  the  customs  peculiar  to 
savage  life  in  the  management  of  public  affairs. 

The  United  States'  Government  is  bound  to  afford  consider 
able  assistance  to  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws,  in  making  them 
comfortable,  in  schools,  &c.  The  Methodists  have  missionaries 
among  them.  According  to  the  discipline  of  that  church,  their 
missionaries  frequently  change  places,  so  that  new  missionaries 
may  be  introduced  into  the  Indian  country  this  year,  in  lieu  of 
those  who  served  in  the  preceding  year.  The  Presbyterians 
have  several  stations,  occupied  by  Rev.  Messrs.  Kingsbury, 
Byington,  Wright,  Woods,  and  Hotchkin,  and  their  wives,  and 
Messrs.  Jones,  Olmstead,  and  Austin,  with  their  wives,  and  Mrs. 
Barnes,  Miss  Clough,  and  Miss  Burn  ham.  Mr.  Kingsbury  and 
Mr.  Byinglon  are  veterans  in  missionary  labours. 

The  Baptists  have  four  missionaries  among  them,  who  occu 
py  as  many  stations,  viz:  Rev.  Messrs.  Smedley,  Potts,  Hatch, 
and  Dr.  Allen,  all  of  whom  have  wives,  excepting  the  first. 
Each  holds  an  appointment  under  the  United  States'  Govern 
ment,  as  teacher  of  a  school,  for  which  he  receives  a  salary  which 
supports  him  without  cost  to  the  board  of  missions.  A  small 
church  has  been  organized  at  Mr.  Potts's  station,  which  is  the 
only  Baptist  church  in  the  nation.  Very  favourable  openings 
for  preaching  the  Gospel  successfully  and  for  teaching  schools 
appear  in  many  places. 

The  Choctaws,  Chickasaws,  Cherokees,  and  Creeks,  are  the 
only  tribes  which  manufacture  cloth.  As  often  occurs  among 
the  citizens  of  the  United  States  on  the  frontiers,  there  are, 
among  all  tribes,  more  or  fewer  who  spend  too  much  time  in 
hunting.  But  there  is  not  one  tribe  among  the  immigrants 
which  does  not  depend  chiefly  for  subsistence  upon  their  domes 
tic  supplies,  procured  by  their  own  industry.  The  indigenous 
tribes  are  the  Quapaw,  Osage,  Kauzau,  Otoe,  Pawnee,  Omaha, 
and  Puncah — numbering,  in  the  whole,  twenty-one  thousand  six 
hundred  and  sixty.  The  immigrants,  seventy-three  thousand 
two  hundred  in  number,  are  no  longer  tribes  of  hunters,  but  are 
people  subsisting  themselves  at  their  homes. 

In  their  original  condition,  the  Indians  live  in  villages.  As 
they  advance  in  civilization,  they  widen  distances  between 
houses,  until  they  form  proper  country  settlements.  As  the 


INDIAN   MISSIONS. 


575 


business  of  life  increases,  and  mechanics  and  merchants  multi 
ply,  convenience  brings  their  shops  nearer  to  each  other,  and 
villages  are  formed.  At  present,  the  indigenous  tribes  reside 
in  villages,  but  not  one  village  exists  among  the  immigrants? 
Among  the  southern  tribes,  the  Choctaws  in  particular,  a  few 
settlements  are  beginning  to  assume  a  village  appearance.  Esti 
mates,  upon  the  best  data  that  are  accessible,  make  the  entire 
Indian  population  of  North  America  about  five  millions  four 
hundred  thousand. 

On  account  of  erroneous  opinions  of  Indian  character,  bad 
measures  of  Government,  and  criminal  neglect  of  Christians, 
the  condition  of  these  people  has  hitherto  appeared  less  hope 
ful  than  that  of  any  other  upon  the  earth  ;  while,  at  the  same 
time,  their  vigour  of  intellect,  and  the  absence  of  established 
forms  of  worship,  placed  them  in  a  condition  more  susceptible  of 
favourable  impressions,  tending  to  improvement,  than  any  other 
heathen  nation. 

The  apathy  of  Christians  upon  this  subject  has  been  unac 
countable.  Of  our  own  denomination  we  may  speak  with  more 
freedom  than  of  others.  The  Baptists  connect  with  their  churches 
none  who  are  not  supposed  to  be  genuinely  pious.  Their  num 
ber,  within  the  United  States,  is  over  five  hundred  thousand,  and 
yet  they  are,  comparatively,  doing  nothing  for  the  Indians.  In 
regard  to  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Asia,  Africa,  and 
Europe,  the  denomination  is  liberal  and  enterprising;  but  for  the 
conversion  of  the  aborigines  of  our  own  country  it  is  but  little 
inclined  to  labour.  It  will  be  seen,  by  our  history,  that  their 
efforts  have  been  few  and  feeble.  Very  favourable  opportuni 
ties  for  doing  good  have  frequently  passed  away  without  im 
provement,  for  want  of  missionaries,  and  the  few  who  have  been 
in  the  field  have  not  been  amply  sustained  in  their  labours. 
During  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years,  scarcely  any  thing  has  been 
contributed  for  the  promotion  of  Indian  missions.  They  have 
been  sustained  almost  wholly  by  means  obtained  from  the  Gov 
ernment  of  the  United  States.  This  is  a  startling  fact,  of 
which,  it  is  probable,  the  denomination  is  not  fully  aware. 

We  have  commenced  inquiries,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining 
and  stating  to  the  denomination  the  amount  of  its  charitable  con 
tributions  for  Indian  missions  within  the  last  fifteen  years,  but 
this  work  goes  to  press  before  the  statement  is  prepared.  It  is 
believed,  however,  that  scarcely  any  thing  above  the  amount 
received  from  Government  has  been  expended.  It  will  also  be 
perceived  that,  from  the  first,  there  has  been  a  distressing  warn 


76 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


of  funds.  The  want  of  means  has  been,  to  some  extent,  the 
apology  of  the  board  of  missions  for  not  employing  more  mis 
sionaries,  and  for  not  amply  sustaining  the  few  stations  they  have 
established.  The  usefulness  of  these  stations  has  been  greatly 
abridged  by  their  poverty.  Many  of  the  missionaries,  instead 
of  being  allowed  to  apply  all  their  energies  in  promoting  the 
proper  object  of  their  mission,  are  compelled  to  spend  half  their 
time,  or  more,  in  securing  the  means  of  support  for  themselves 
and  families.  Most  of  them  labour  with  their  own  hands,  and 
when  they  can  earn  any  thing  from  Government,  by  personal 
service,  apply  it  all  to  the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  missions, 
leaving  their  own  families  poor. 

The  condition  of  the  Indians  is  such  as  renders  schools  almost 
indispensable  to  the  success  of  missions;  but,  for  want  of  means, 
schools,  in  some  instances,  are  small,  and  wanting  in  efficiency, 
and  in  others  wholly  omitted.  With  a  flourishing  school  by  his 
side,  the  opportunities  of  the  missionary  to  impart  religious 
instruction  to  the  people  of  his  charge  would  be  enhanced  four 
fold.  But,  with  all  his  toils  and  privations,  and  the  anxieties  of 
his  soul  on  account  of  the  poverty  of  his  family,  when  by  death 
they  may  be  deprived  of  his  care,  he  has  the  additional  mortifi 
cation  to  feel  that  he  labours  under  disadvantages  which  prevent 
three-fourths  of  his  success. 

Missionaries,  as  well  as  means  of  support,  are  wanting.  Can 
didates  for  missionary  service  in  other  countries  are  not  wanting; 
but  very  few  indeed  offer  themselves  for  this  service.  Here  is 
no  dangerous  ocean  of  thousands  of  miles  intervening  between 
the  Christian  and  the  perishing  heathen.  No  obstacle  is  pre 
sented  by  the  oppression  of  a  vertical  sun,  or  the  sickliness  of 
climate.  The  bolts  and  bars  of  established  heathen  mythology 
are  not  to  be  broken,  in  order  to  gain  access  to  the  people. 
They  possess  acuteness  and  strength  of  mind,  and  docility  of 
disposition — they  are  men  of  nature — a  kind  of  blank,  which 
may  be  either  filled  or  blotted  by  us.  Baptist  brother,  why 
will  you  not  come  and  help  ?  Or,  if  it  be  not  convenient  for 
you  to  come  into  the  Indian  country,  why  will  you  not  con 
tribute  something  towards  enabling  others  to  come?  The  disco 
very  of  the  new  system  of  writing  and  learning  to  read,  makes  it 
comparatively  easy  to  give  religious  tracts,  the  New  Testament, 
and  other  useful  prints,  to  the  whole  Indian  population,  from 
Mexico  to  the  northern  extremity  of  the  Continent,  could  we 
but  find  men  willing  to  perform  the  labour,  and  the  means  to  feed 
and  clothe  them.  The  obligations  arising  out  of  this,  and  some 


INDIAN  MISSIONS. 


577 


other  considerations,  press  with  peculiar  force  upon  the  Baptist 
denomination,  and  none  can  be  so  blind  as  not  to  perceive  that 
the  facility  with  which  we  may  impart  to  every  horde  of  natives 
a  knowledge  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  permanent  character  which 
is  given  to  the  work  of  Indian  reform  by  the  system  of  coloni 
zation,  render  the  present  an  auspicious  time  to  work,  and  such 
as  has  never  before  occurred. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Encouragement  to  go  forward  in  the  work  of  Indian  reform, 

i 

On  the  foregoing  pages  we  have  sketched  the  character  and 
condition  of  the  Indians,  from  their  supposed  origin  to  the  pre 
sent  time,  and  the  progress  of  Baptist  missions  among  them, 
and  finding  ninety-five  thousand  of  them  already  settled  in  a 
country  favourable  to  their  future  prosperity,  and  the  experiment 
of  a  change  of  measures,  working  well  so  far  as  it  has  advanced, 
and  with  reason,  observation,  and  Christian  faith,  clearly  pre 
dicting  ultimate  success,  we  ask  those  who,  like  Josenhus's 
Prophet,  on  the  walls  of  fated  Jerusalem,  are  constantly  sound 
ing  their  woes  around  the  aborigines,  Why  should  they  perish  ? 

Is  it  possible  that  a  race  of  men  has  been  brought  into  exist 
ence  possessing  some  innate  self-destroying  principle,  which  will 
produce  its  own  extinction  ?  If  so,  how  did  their  numbers  mul 
tiply,  until  they  spread  over  a  quarter  of  the  globe?  How  did 
it  happen  that  this  baneful  principle  did  not  begin  to  develop 
itself  until  they  came  in  contact  with  the  white  man  ?  Why 
has  not  nature  violated  her  laws  in  relation  to  some  other  ani 
mals?  A  nation  of  human  beings,  physically  and  mentally 
organized  like  all  other  human  beings,  multiplying  to  millions, 
and  yet,  unlike  all  other  human  beings,  under  the  influence  of  a 
self-destructive  principle,  too  inveterate  to  be  remedied,  and 
which  will  utterly  destroy  the  whole  race. 

They  who  have  given  little  attention  to  Indian  affairs  will 
hardly  believe  that  such  gross  absurdities  are  propagated  in  these 
days,  and  in  this  country.  They  would  ascribe  them  to  a  period 
a  century  before  our  time.  Yet,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  we 
are  sorry  to  say  it  is  true.  When  we  exult  in  the  wonderful 
march  of  mind  in  this  favoured  period,  we  must  not  exhibit  the 

73 


578 


HISTORY  OF    HU'TIST 


above  specimens  of  logic  in  justification  of  our  joys.  The  rea 
soning  of  the  most  benighted  of  those  aborigines  would  not 
involve  equal  absurdities. 

We  have  lately  seen,  in  a  periodical  of  considerable  celebrity,* 
the  following  premises  and  conclusions  assumed  : 

"  The  North- American  Indians  are  a  strongly  marked  race 
of  men,  constituting  a  distinct  class,  and  maintaining  their  iden 
tity  as  such,  and  their  peculiarities,  in  every  vicissitude  of  exist 
ence,  which  neither  circumstances  nor  time  have  conquered. 
Wasted  by  wars,  consumed  by  want,  driven  by  the  iron  arm  of 
civilization  from  his  native  soil,  and  the  places  endeared  to  him 
by  hallowed  associations,  the  Indian  is  the  same  that  he  was 
when  the  white  man  first  invaded  his  forests  ;  unchanged  and 
unchangeable  in  his  nature,  his  habits,  his  physical  constitution, 
and  distinctive  traits  of  intellect.  We  see  to  what  a  point  the 
aboriginal  intellect  has  advanced,  and  what  have  been  apparent 
ly  the  stern  boundaries  fixed  by  nature  to  its  progress.  The 
narrow  circle  of  Indian  ideas  has  remained  essentially  the  same, 

since  their  first  intercourse  with  Europeans They 

have  rejected  the  habits  of  civilized  life,  though,  in  some  indi 
vidual  cases,  they  have  proved  themselves  capable  of  adopting 
them.  It  seems  as  if  they  were  born  to  be  hunters,  and  hunt 
ers  they  were  determined  to  die.  The  Christian  religion  has 
made  a  temporary  progress  among  some  of  the  tribes,  but  time 
has  always  removed  the  last  traces  of  it  from  the  savage  mind." 

If  the  sentiments  we  have  quoted  were  limited  to  a  few  of  our 
countrymen,  we  might  have  passed  them  unnoticed  ;  but  they 
prevail  extensively.  They  intrude  themselves  into  the  halls  of 
legislation,  and  by  their  hopelessness  occasion  indifference  to  the 
enactment  of  wholesome  regulations.  They  accompany  the 
execution  of  law,  and  too  often  occasion  infidelity.  They  salve 
the  conscience  of  the  avaricious,  who  pleads  that,  since  the  In 
dians  cannot  profit  by  money  appropriated  for  their  use,  he  may 
apply,  it  to^his  own  ;  and  they  have  a  paralyzing  effect  upon 
every  scheme  of  benevolence  for  their  assistance,  both  in  the 
Government  and  in  the  Church. 

We  are  happy,  however,  in  being  able  to  meet  the  errors  we 
deprecate,  by  plain  and  notorious  matters  of  fact.  Of  this  un 
questionable  evidence  is  found  in  the  accounts  given  of  improve 
ments  in  civilization  and  religion,  of  different  tribes.  With 
peculiar  satisfaction  we  refer  to  the  account  of  the  Choctaws. 
There  we  see  that  savage  customs  have  been  abolished,  and 

*  North  American  Review  for  July,  1898. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 


579 


civil  institutions  adopted  in  their  place  ;  and  this,  too,  has  been 
done  by  themselves.  It  is  true,  there  have  long  been  labouring 
among  them  devoted  missionaries,  whose  salutary  influence  has 
been  felt,  in  moulding  the  character  of  society  in  general  ;  but 
the  direct  operations  of  these  men  have  been  chiefly  limited  to 
religion  and  literature.  And,  moreover,  the  amount  of  mission 
ary  labour  among  the  Choctaws  has  always  been  so  small,  that 
it  can,  at  best,  be  esteemed  only  an  auxiliary  in  improvement. 

The  Cherokees  have  been  hindered  in  improvement  by  diffi 
culties  attending  a  change  of  place,  otherwise  it  is  fair  to  sup 
pose  they  would  not  have  been  behind  the  Choctaws  in  any 
thing.  Before  the  days  of  their  late  troubles  on  the  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  they  were  undoubtedly  in  advance  of  all  other  tribes. 
Then  follow  the  Creeks,  close  in  the  rear  of  their  neighbours. 
Nearly  by  the  side  of  the  latter,  in  improvement,  are  the  Shawa* 
noes  and  Delawares,  followed  by  Peoria.s,  Senecas,  VVeas,  Otta- 
was,  Kickapoos,  Sauks,  and  lowas. 

These  are  the  people  said  to  •*  have  been  born  to  be  hunters, 
and  hunters  determined  to  die."  A  population  of  more  than 
seventy  thousand  of  these  natural  born  hunters  are  now  living 
by  their  industry  at  home,  and  having  among  them  scarcely  a 
greater  proportion  of  individuals  who  neglect  the  field  or  the 
shop  for  the  chase,  than  are  found  among  the  whites  in  the  fron 
tier  settlements.  Even  the  indigenous  tribes,  in  the  midst  of  all 
the  disadvantages  under  which  they  have  laboured,  have,  almost 
from  the  moment  that  they  were  informed  improvement  was 
possible,  been  imbibing  habits  of  civilization.  When  inspired 
with  the  first  ray  of  hope,  they  arose  and  took  hold  of  the 
plough.  See  the 'poor  Otoe,  who,  a  short  time  since,  cultivated 
his  maize  with  the  shoulder-bone  of  the  buffalo,  unable  to.  guide 
both  plough  and  horse,  holding  the  handles  of  the  former,  while 
his  wife  or  child  guides  the  latter. 

This  is  the  "  race  of  men  constituting  a  distinct  class,  and 
maintaining  their  identity  as  such,  and  their  peculiarities,  under 
every  vicissitude  of  existence  !" 

Next  look  into  the  schools,  and  into  the  classes  which  have 
been  favoured  with  a  place  in  the  schools,  and  you  must  remain 
silent  on  the  subject  of  limited  intellect.  Go  to  the  Choctavv 
Hall  of  Legislation,  and  hear  men,  with  true  eloquence,  plead 
ing  and  establishing  the  cause  of  civil  liberty.  Follow  them, 
till  in  the  ardour  of  friendly  debate,  yon  find  the  speakers,  en 
larging  beyond  the  limits  of  recollection,  resorting  for  aid  to 
wriit.cn  notes.  Examine  their  constitution  and  their  code  of 


580 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


written  laws,  and  then  tell  us  "  the  narrow  circle  of  Indian  ideas 
has  remained  essentially  the  same  since  their  first  intercourse  with 
Europeans."  Lastly,  approach  the  House  of  God,  compared 
with  the  importance  of  which,  all  specimens  of  improvement 
sink  into  insignificance.  Hear  the  native,  with  his  bold  and 
pious  eloquence,  telling  his  countrymen  that  the  victim  of  Cal 
vary  extends  his  hands  even  to  them,  to  wipe  their  tears  and 
raise  them  to  a  better  world.  See  hundreds  surrounding  the 
sacramental  board,  to  commemorate  the  death  of  the  Redeemer. 
Follow  these  disciples  of  Jesus,  and  witness  their  consistency  of 
profession,  both  in  the  closet  and  in  their  intercourse  with  their 
fellow-men.*  Mark  the  indications  of  grateful  recollections  of 
those  white  men  who  brought  to  them  the  "  balm  of  Gilead." 
Then  step  to  the  brink  of  time,  and  see  a  Christian  Indian  die, 
and  tell  us  that  "  time  has  always  removed  the  last  traces  of 
the  Christian  religion  from  the  savage  mind  !" 

Further,  let  it  not  be  overlooked  that  these  improvements, 
in  their  substantial  form,  commenced  at  the  moment  when,  in  the 
nature  of  things,  they  were  enabled  to  hope  for  better  condition. 
The  hunter  left  the  forest  for  the  field,  as  soon  as  he  knew  that 
he  could  enjoy  the  fruits  of  cultivation.  The  barbarous  council 
was  dissolved,  as  soon  as  a  secure  home,  and  the  prospect  of 
enjoying  civil  freedom,  suggested  the  propriety  of  a  legislative 
assembly.  Very  few  of  the  Choctaws  had  reached  their  present 
homes  in  1828.  About  the  same  time  the  Cherokees,  and 
Creeks,  and  Shawanoes,  were  making  their  first  settlements. 

*  From  among  many  interesting  anecdotes  which  exhibit  the  salutary 
influence  of  the  Gospel  upon  the  Indians,  the  following  is  selected  : 

In  the  autumn  of  the  present  year,  1839,  a  company  of  Delawares  in- 
vited  Charles  Johnnycake  to  accompany  them  on  a  trapping  expedition  in  the 
capacity  of  commander.  Charles  was  a  talented  young  Delaware,  who  had 
acquired  a  knowledge  of  reading,  and  who  had  become  a  member  of  a  Bap 
tist  church.  He  refused  to  accept  of  the  office  of  leader,  or  even  to  join 
the  company,  unless  all  would  agree  to  attend  prayers  at  camp  every  night 
and  morning ;  to  bring  into  camp  all  their  traps  on  Saturday  evening,  and  to 
spend  the  Sabbath  in  rest  and  religious  exercises.  Only  one,  besides  him. 
self,  professed  to  be  pious,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  same  church.  Never 
theless,  all  agreed  to  Charles's  propositions.  They  were  in  the  wilderness 
about  six  weeks,  during  which  time  all  strictly  adhered  to  their  engagement. 
Morning  and  evening  prayers  were  regularly  observed,  at  which  times  por 
tions  of  the  Scriptures  were  read,  and  hymns  sung  in  the  Delaware  language, 
and  on  Sundays,  Charles  read  and  expounded  the  Scriptures,  and  exhorted 
his  fellow-trappers  to  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  not  even  their  traps  wern 
allowed  to  remain  set  for  catching  beaver,  lest  unhallowed  thoughts  should 
turn  towards  them,  to  the  desecration  of  the  Sabbath. 

That  same  desert  had  been  frequented  by  Indians  from  time  immemorial, 
but,  perhaps,  had  never  before  resounded  with  the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  581 

The  Delawares  and  others  arrived  at  later  dates.  Here,  then, 
as  it  were,  with  the  fructifying  influence  of  summer,  the  immi 
grant  tribes,  without  a  single  exception,  from  the  moment  that 
they  began  to  be  relieved  from  despair,  and  to  feel  the  influence 
of  hope,  commenced  improving,  and  are  still  advancing. 

We  admit  that  many  formidable  obstacles  still  oppose  the 
national  salvation  of  this  lately  broken-hearted  people.  But  the 
hinderances  are  all  in  our  own  hand,  and  (with  proper  submission 
to  Him  who  rules  the  destinies  of  man)  we  perceive  that  we 
have  the  power  either  to  save  or  to  destroy  them.  Upon  us, 
therefore,  rests  the  responsibility.  We  perceive  that  with  op 
portunities  which  would  enable  any  other  people  to  improve 
their  condition,  the  Indians  will  be  prosperous. 

One  difficulty,  among  others,  and  not  the  least  serious  which 
is  felt  all  over  the  Indian  country,  is  the  lamentation  of  some 
among  us  for  "  the  fate  of  the  poor  Indians,  who  are  des 
tined,"  they  say,  "to  be  driven  still  further  west  by  our  Gov 
ernment."  The  tribes  have,  for  very  good  reasons,  felt  their 
removal  to  the  West  to  be  a  great  hardship.  On  this  account, 
and  many  others,  it  cannot  be  expected  that  they  will  soon  have 
entire  confidence  in  the  sincerity  of  our  declarations,  that  they 
shall  not  again  be  disturbed.  They  are  not  yet  fully  prepared 
to  appreciate  the  causes  which  have  induced  their  removal;  and 
hence,  judging  from  the  past,  they  look  with  suspicion  on  the 
future;  and  nothing  so  effectually  checks  the  march  of  improve 
ment  as  doubts  concerning  the  permanency  of  their  settlements. 
Their  fears  are  ever  on  the  alert,  and  they  watch,  with  jealous 
anxiety,  every  movement  of  our  Government  in  relation  to  them. 
While,  therefore,  public  prints  and  public  speakers,  professedly 
mourning  over  the  calamities  of  the  Indians,  predict  that  they 
will  still  be  driven  from  place  to  place,  and  protest  that  the  tribes 
are  as  insecure  on  the  west,  as  they  were  on  the  east  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  they  are  fostering  the  groundless  jealousies  of  the  In 
dians,  and  inflicting  upon  them  positive  and  extensive  injury. 

For  reasons  to  which  we  have  referred,  we  can  excuse  the 
Indian  for  his  fears,  but  not  the  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
who  has  an  opportunity  of  contemplating  the  subject  under  cir 
cumstances  very  different  from  the  former.  He  must  be  blind, 
indeed,  who  can  perceive  no  difference  in  the  tenure  by  which 
Indians  hold  lands  now,  and  that'by  which  they  held  lands  with 
in  the  chartered  limits  of  States.  It  is  beyond  contradiction, 
that  the  General  Government  never  has  had  power,  since  its 
organization,  to  give  to  any  of  the  tribes  a  perpetual  residence  on 


582 


H1STOKY    OF    BAPTIST 


the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi  river.  Here  it  has  power  to 
secure  them  in  their  homes  ferever. 

Ci  But  the  avarice  of  our  citizens,"  you  say,  "  is  so  strong 
that  they  will  covet  the  Indian  lands,  and  their  cruelty  is  so 
great  that  they  will  wrest  it  from  them."  These  assertions  we 
deny,  and  justify  the  denial  by  the  fact  that  emigrations  to  this 
territory,  since  the  Government  conceived  the  design  of  making 
the  Indians'  residence  permanent,  have  not  been  produced  by 
the  avarice  and  the  cruelty  presupposed.  That  our  citizens 
have  manifested  avarice  and  cruelty,  no  one  pretends  to  deny; 
but  these  passions  have  never  acquired  strength  to  remove  one 
single  tribe.  The  cause  which  produced  removal  was,  that  the 
very  existence  of  our  Government  was  predicated  upon  the  sup 
position  that  the  Indian  had  no  landed  rights  on  the  east  of  the 
Mississippi.  By  an  European  sovereign  that  country  had  all 
been  conveyed  to  his  subjects,  and,  in  changing  masters,  these 
claimants  never  relinquished  their  claims.  These  claims  were 
recognised  in  the  formation  of  our  Government,  and  have  been 
confirmed  by  a  continuous  policy,  in  which  every  State  in  the 
Union  concurred. 

We  admit  that  our  citizens  might  become  so  corrupt  that  they 
would  force  the  Indians  from  their  homes  without  the  sanction 
of  law.  At  the  same  time  we  deny  that  any  such  instance  of 
cruelty  has  occurred  since  the  scheme  of  colonizing  them  has 
been  conceived. 

Again,  we  do  not  live  in  an  age  of  increasing  cruelty  to  the 
Indians.  Public  sympathy  never  was  so  much  excited  in  behalf 
of  them  as  at  present.  Kindness  of  feeling  in  those  who  have 
managed  the  affairs  of  our  Government  has  been  increasing 
for  many  years,  particularly  since  the  feasibility  of  rescuing  the 
tribes  from  extinction  has  been  perceived  in  the  present  plan. 
In  proof  of  this,  we  need  only  compare  latter  with  former  trea 
ties.  In  these  we  discover  an  increasing  liberality  towards  the 
Indians.  Now  the  Government  will  give  half  a  million  of  dol 
lars  to  a  tribe  for  considerations  which,  twenty  years  ago,  would 
have  been  thought  dear  at  twenty  thousand. 

When,  therefore,  the  Government  has  it  in  its  power  to  secure 
the  tribes  in  their  settlements  in  the  territory,  while  it  is  pursu 
ing  measures  for  this  purpose,  and  while  it  is  endeavouring  to 
make  amends  for  past  wrongs  suffered  by  these  people,  by  in 
creasing  kindness  in  future,  it  is  exceedingly  unfair,  and,  in  regard 
to  the  Indians,  cruelly  unkind,  to  cherish  their  fears  that  they 
shall  soon  be  driven  from  their  homes. 


INDIAN    MISSIONS.  583 

Intimately  connected  with  the  views  of  precarious  settlement 
which  we  have  noticed,  is  that  to  which  we  have  already  re 
ferred,  the  tendency  of  which  is  similarly  pernicious,  to  wit,  the 
supposition  that  the  Indians  are  perishing,  and  that  their  decline 
cannot  be  arrested.  Lectures  on  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  Indians,  whether  consisting  of  encomium  or  censure,  usually 
wind  up  with  a  prediction  of  the  utter  extinction  of  the  race. 

Speakers  in  benevolent  associations,  after  telling  of  the  wrongs 
the  Indians  have  endured,  and  the  sufferings  to  which  they  have 
been  subjected,  and  giving,  perhaps,  a  florid  description  of  the 
noble  traits  of  character  which  they  fancy  they  have  discovered 
in  the  man  of  nature,  often  leave  last  and  uppermost  on  the 
minds  of  their  audience  the  impression  that  these  noble  but 
suffering  people  are  doomed  to  utter  destruction.  The  effect 
of  all  this  would  be  the  less  hurtful,  were  it  not  done  under  the 
profession  of  great  regard  for  the  Indians.  Well  might  all  the 
tribes  adopt  the  prayer,  "  From  the  sympathies  of  such  friends, 
good  Lord  deliver  us."  They  have  much  sympathy  for  the 
poor  Indians,  and  yet  they  can  hinder  them  from  making  them 
selves  comfortable,  by  telling  them  that  they  will  soon  be  driven 
from  their  houses  and  fields.  By  discouraging  improvement 
among  them,  they  cherish  ignorance  and  wretchedness,  and  thus 
increase  their  liability  to  be  imposed  upon.  They  check  the 
ardor  essential  to  improvement,  by  predicting  their  constant  de 
cline  and  ultimate  extinction;  and  they  discourage  our  citizens, 
whether  statesmen  or  churchmen,  from  earnestly  seeking  the 
relief  of  the  Indians — "  for  all  efforts  are  to  fail — they  must  be 
driven — they  must  disappear." 

The  rhetorical  flourish,  borrowed  from  Indian  life,  has  become 
stale  with  time  and  use,  that  "the  council  fires  of  the  tribes  are 
about  to  be  extinguished."  Yes.  The  council  fires  of  the 
Choctaws  have  already  been  extinguished,  and  those  of  other 
tribes  are  expiring;  but  the  tribes  are  neither  dead  nor  dying. 
They  have  exchanged  the  council  fire  for  the  legal  institutions 
of  a  civilized  community. 

Nothing  is  better  calculated  to  cherish  in  the  Indians  hostile 
feelings  towards  the  United  States  than  to  persuade  them  that 
we  design  to  drive  them  from  their  present  residences.  Con 
firm  them  in  this  belief,  and  war  will  be  induced,  and  on  their 
part  it  would  be  a  war  of  desperation. 

Another  error  into  which  some  good  men  have  fallen  is,  that 
the  Indians  must  necessarily  perish,  because  they  are  "driven 
from  the  graves  of  their  fathers."  Or,  if  separation  from  the 


584 


HISTORY  OF  BAPTIST 


graves  of  their  fathers  should  not  be  certainly  destructive,  it  is 
necessarily  cruel.  Better  let  them  remain  at  the  "graves  of 
their  fathers  "  and  die,  than  to  go  to  a  country  of  their  own  and 
live.  -Now,  concerning  the  hardship  of  being  compelled  to  leave 
a  place  to  which  they  had  become  attached  by  a  long  residence, 
and  to  locate  in  one  chosen  for  them  by  others,  there  can  be 
but  one  opinion.  We  all  agree,  too,  that  the  whites  started 
wrong  in  Indian  matters  at  first,  and  introduced  an  unjust  policy, 
which  was  the  source  and  has  been  the  support  of  all  the  evils 
which  have  been  particularly  destructive  to  these  people,  not 
even  excepting  the  evil  of  intemperance.  Happy  would  it 
have  been  for  us  if  our  ancestors  had  corrected  this  error.  But 
they  did  it  not;  that  work  has  been  reserved  for  the  present 
generation.  The  reform  has  been  commenced,,  and  it  is  pro 
gressing  in  the  only  possible  way  that  has  been  suggested,  and 
we  rejoice  that  the  deeply  lamented  evils — real,  not  imaginary 
evils — involved  in  the  matter  of  emigration  from  the  east  to  the 
west  of  "the  Mississippi,  are  being  overruled  for  good.  Evils, 
the  force  of  which  drove  the  pilgrim  fathers  from  Europe  to 
America,  were  real.  The  laws  which  allowed  of  their  perse 
cution  were  unjust.  These  good  men  might  have  remained  by 
the  "  graves  of  their  fathers,"  and  have  died  under  their  oppres 
sions,  but  they  made  a  wiser  choice,  and  soon  discovered  that 
the  evil  was  made  to  them  a  blessing. 

While  we  have  much  to  lament  in  the  case  of  the  Indians, 
we  have  these  substantial  consolations,  that  their  country  is 
good  ;  the  latitudes  they  respectively  inhabit  nearly  the  same 
as  those  from  which  they  came;  that  the  causes  which  occasion 
ed  their  removal  from  their  former  residences  do  not  reach  their 
present  ones,  and  that  notwithstanding  it  has  been  constantly 
reiterated  in  their  hearing,  that  "  they  need  not  try  to  live, 
for  the  Indian  race  must  become  extinct — they  need  not  im 
prove  their  lands,  for  they  will  soon  be  driven  from  them;"  they 
no  sooner  reach  their  country  here,  than  they  exchange  the 
hunter  for  the  farmer.  So  far  from  being  naturally  averse  to  im 
provement,  as  has  been  a  thousand  times  reported,  thev  as 
naturally  commence  improving  as  soon  as  they  are  placed  in 
circumstances  which  render  it  possible,  as  a  bird  expands  its 
wings  for  flight  as  soon  as  its  cage  is  opened. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  elements  of  that  state  of  society 
which  all  who  desire  their  happiness  wish  to  see  established 
among  the  Indians.  In  regard  to  the  propriety  of  some  mea 
sures  which  have  been  employed  to  transfer  these  people  to  this 


INDIAN     MISSIONS. 


585 


country,  there  have  been  honest  differences  of  opinion  in  the 
United  States.  These  things  are  now  matters  of  history.  The 
Indians  are  here,  and  afford  an  opportunity  for  action.  In  acts 
of  justice  and  humanity,  all  may  unite.  That  it  is  our  duty 
now  to  endeavour  to  afford  assistance,  none  can  doubt,  and  it  is 
hardly  possible  for  us  to  disagree  in  the  choice  of  measures. 
Only  suppose  Indians  to  be  like  all  other  human  beings — like 
ourselves,  for  instance — and  all  becomes  plain  and  easy.  We 
have  only  to  apply  for  their  relief  such  measures  as  our  own 
citizens  need  when  they  locate  in  new  and  wilderness  countries. 

Suppose  a  population  of  ninety-five  thousand  of  our  citizens, 
suddenly  thrown  together  on  some  part  of  our  frontiers ;  that 
which  would  seem  to  claim  first  attention  would  be  the  esta 
blishment  of  rules  of  order — the  adoption  of  measures  of  law,  for 
mutual  protection.  It  would  not  be  sufficient  for  each  prominent 
man  to  form  a  clan  and  adopt  laws  for  themselves,  in  all  respects 
distinct  from  others.  Such  local  regulations  might  properly  be 
made,  but  they  would  not  supersede  the  necessity  for  laws  of  a 
more  general  nature,  which  would  harmonize  the  whole  commu 
nity.  In  such  a  community  as  we  have  supposed,  the  institution 
of  schools  and  of  religious  worship  would  early  claim  attention. 
Industry,  as  well  as  literature  and  religion,  should  be  encouraged. 
All  this  would  be  plain,  in  regard  to  ourselves,  and  the  whole 
would  be  equally  appropriate  for  the  Indians.  Government, 
for  various  reasons,  exercises  over  them  a  general  superintend- 
ency  and  guardianship ;  it  is  therefore  proper  that  it  should  take 
measures  for  uniting  them  harmoniously  under  the  influence  of 
regulations  of  intercourse.  The  tribes  have  never  been  in  this 
manner  united;  it  is  not  easy,  therefore,  for  them  to  form  an 
union  without  assistance. 

But  leave  them  to  remain  in  their  present  incoherent  con 
dition,  and  the  result  will  be  what  we  would  expect  from  ninety 
thousand  of  our  own  citizens,  settled  in  a  body,  without  law — 
difficulties"  among  themselves,  and  trouble  to  their  neighbours, 
which  would  end  in  destruction.  In  no  other  way  than  this  can 
the  Indian  be  deprived  of  his  country.  Let  quarrels  arise  be 
tween  the  tribes,  and  liability  to  lose  their  country  will  follow. 

The  original  inhabitants,  who  have  reluctantly  been  yielding 
their  places  to  us  for  two  or  three  centuries,  and,  as  they  re 
ceded,  diminished  in  numbers,  and  sunk  deeper  in  accumulating 
woes,  have  at  length  found  a  resting  place ;  and,  like  the  bird 
of  Noah,  have  found  the  flood  of  their  afflictions  retiring,  and 
the  olive  emblem  of  peace  and  tranquillity  accessible  ;  or,  like 
74 


586 


HISTORY  OF   BAPTIST 


the  long  imprisoned  tenants  of  the  ark,  when  they  issued  forth 
with  pious  hilarity  to  plough  and  plant,  the  Indian  unstrings  his 
bow,  and  gears  his  plough-horse. 

The  measures  now  contemplated  by  the  Government  will  not 
be  limited  in  their  salutary  effects  to  the  few  broken  Indian  na 
tions  near  us.  They  combine  the  elements  of  a  grand  scheme 
of  deliverance,  embracing  all  the  tribes.  The  vast  region  unin 
habited  by  men  of  European  descent,  and  lying  westward  and 
northward  of  their  long  line  of  settlements,  is  the  sphere  des 
tined  to  be  filled.  Success  in  the  present  experiment  will  arouse 
benevolent  enterprise  to  form  colonies  elsewhere,  and  it  will 
not  be  long  in  carrying  messages  of  joy  to  the  most  distant  and 
degraded  hordes.  Once  fully  establish  in  practice  the  design 
under  consideration,  and,  like  the  prophet's  rock  from  the  moun 
tain,  imperishable  in  its  nature,  it  will  magnify  commensurate  to 
the  sphere  of  wretchedness  for  which  it  is  adapted.  Who  would 
not  co-operate  in  a  work  so  magnificent !  Shall  we  call  it  a 
revolution  ?  It  deserves  a  better  name  than  one  implying  only 
a  change  of  one  form  of  Government  for  another,  or  one  corps 
of  rulers  for  another.  Here  is  to  be  the  establishment  of  Gov 
ernment  among  men  who  never  before  enjoyed  it.  It  is  not  a 
mere  improvement  in  condition,  but  a  rescue  from  extinction. 
The  events  of  our  own  American  revolution  acquire  interest  as 
time  develops  their  importance  to  the  world  ;  and  the  hand 
which  but  tremblingly  signed  our  Declaration  of  Independence 
is  now  looked  back  upon  with  a  kind  of  veneration,  as  if  it  had 
been  guided  by  some  influence  from  Heaven.  The  excellence 
of  our  institutions,  then  introduced,  acquires  brilliancy  by  having 
led  us  to  feel,  and  act,  for  others,  far  more  distressed  than  we 
were  then — to  make  them  free  and  happy  as  ourselves. 

Christians,  will  you  awaken  from  your  lethargy,  and  without 
delay  come  forward,  with  prayer,  and  faith,  and  zeal,  to  the  glo 
rious  work  of  elevating  the  depressed  aborigines  to  the  privi 
leges  of  citizens  and  the  virtues  of  Christianity  ?  Can  you 
imagine  a  crisis  of  more  thrilling  interest  than  the  present  ? 
Should  the  experiment  of  an  Indian  colony,  by  opposing  ob 
stacles,  fail,  will  not  the  predictions  of  4t  the  fearful  and  unbe 
lieving"  be  fulfilled  in  the  extermination  of  the  Indian  race  ? 
But  in  its  success  an  achievement  of  Christian  enterprise  is 
anticipated,  than  which  none  is  more  noble.  Here  is  latitude 
for  the  exercise  of  sympathy,  and  the  discharge  of  duties  which 
justice  demands — the  payment  of  debts  too  long  delayed.  While 
the  scale  trembles  between  hope  and  despair  in  the  public  mind, 


INDIAN   MISSIONS.  587 

cast  in  your  influence  of  prayer,  benevolence,  and  personal 
effort.  Missionaries,  as  well  as  means,  are  needed — faithful, 
energetic  missionaries,  divested  of  sinister  motives,  and  devoted 
to  labours  of  disinterested  benevolence.  Both  the  preacher 
and  the  layman  can  here  find  room  to  work  to  good  advantage; 
nor  is  the  work  of  females  in  leading  their  red  sisters  in  the 
paths  of  virtuous  refinement,  and  to  the  house  of  God,  the  least 
important.  Why  do  you  stand  aloof?  Three  centuries  have 
elapsed  since  the  discovery  of  this  country  by  our  ancestors, 
and  what  have  we  done  for  them  ?  Alas,  what  damage  we  have 
done  them  !  What  have  they  suffered  at  our  hands !  Now, 
ninety-five  thousand  implore  assistance,  which,  if  promptly  and 
amply  afforded,  will  probably  reach,  in  its  living  and  spreading 
influence,  every  horde  of  natives,  from  Mexico  to  the  northern 
extremity  of  the  continent.  The  field  is  extensive  and  whiten 
ing  for  harvest,  and  tens  of  thousands  of  this  almost  ruined  race 
stand  ready  to  join  you  in  shouting,  "  Hallelujah,  for  the  Lord, 
God,  Omnipotent,  reigneth  !  " 


APPENDIX. 


[No.L] 

Extracts  from  the  speech  of  the  Hon.  WILSON  LUMPKIN,  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  in  Congress,  on  the  bill  for  the 
removal  of  the  Indians,  May  llth,  1830.  See  anterior 
page  400. 

MR.  LUMPKIN  said  his  life  had  never  been  free  from  care  and 
responsibility,  but  on  no  former  occasion  had  he  ever  felt  more 
deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of  that  responsibility  to'God  and 
his  country,  than  he  did  at  the  present  moment.  The  great 
importance,  said  Mr.  L.,  which  I  attach  to  the  decision  of  the 
House  upon  this  bill  now  under  consideration,  does  not  arise 
from  any  apprehension  of  material  effects  being  produced  in 
relation  to  any  of  the  States  interested ;  but  to  those  remnant 
tribes  of  Indians  whose  good  we  seek,  the  subject  before  you  is 
of  vital  importance — it  is  a  measure  of  life  and  death.  Pass 
the  bill  on  your  table,  and  you  save  them  ;  reject  it,  and  you 
leave  them  to  perish.  Reject  this  bill,  and  you  thereby  encou 
rage  delusory  hopes  in  the  Indians,  which  will  never  be  realized. 
They  will  be  encouraged  to  acts  of  indiscretion,  which  will 
bring  upon  them  injury  which  will  be  deplored  by  every  friend 
of  virtue  and  humanity.  I  therefore  call  upon  you  to  avoid 
these  evil  consequences  while  you  may.  Delay  is  pregnant 
with  great  danger  to  the  Indians ;  what  you  do,  do  quickly, 
before  the  evil  day  approaches. 

[  differ  from  my  friend in  regard  to  Indian  civilization. 

I  entertain  no  doubt  that  a  remnant  of  these  people  may  be  en 
tirely  reclaimed  from  their  native  savage  habits,  and  be  brought 
into  the  full  enjoyment  of  all  the  blessings  of  civilized  society. 
We  have  too  many  instances  of  improvement  among  the  various 
tribes,  to  hesitate  any  longer  in  determining  whether  the  Indians 
are  susceptible  of  civilization.  Use  the  proper  means,  and  suc 
cess  will  crown  your  efforts.  My  views  of  legislation  upon  this 
subject  have  been  founded  in  an  ardent  desire  to  better  the  con 
dition  of  these  remnant  tribes.  At  the  same  time,  an  object  of 
my  solicitude  and  labour  ha?  been  to  relieve  the  States  from  the 


590 


APPENDIX. 


perplexities,  heart-burnings,  conflicts,  and  strifes*  which  are  con 
nected  with  this  Indian  subject.  I  introduced  into  the  twen 
tieth  Congress  a  resolution,  which  resulted  in  an  appropriation 
to  defray  the  expense  of  preparing  for  the  emigration  of  the 
Indians  west  of  the  Mississippi.  The  details  of  the  exploring 
tour  of  the  agents  who  examined  the  country  west  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  the  quality  of  the  country 
contemplated  for  the  permanent  abode  of  the  Indians,  having 
been  given  by  my  friend,  (Mr.  Bell,)  I  will  only  say,  a  suitable 
and  sufficient  country  has  been  found — a  country  admirably 
adapted  to  the  interest  and  condition  of  the  emigrating  Indians. 
That  there  is  a  good  country  for  all  the  Indians  to  emigrate  to, 
can  no  longer  be  doubted. 

I  am  greatly  surprised  to  hear  the  opponents  of  the  proposed 
policy  speak  of  the  measure  as  being  fraught  with  danger  and 
ruin  to  the  Indians.  Mr.  Monroe,  [President  of  the  United 
States,]  in  his  message  of  January  27th,  1825,  says :  "  The 
removal  of  the  tribes  from  the  territory  which  they  now  inhabit, 
to  that  which  was  designated  in  the  message  at  the  commence 
ment  of  the  session,  under  a  well  digested  plan  for  their  gov 
ernment  and  civilization,  which  would  be  agreeable  to  them 
selves,  would  not  only  shield  them  from  impending  ruin,  but 
promote  their  welfare  and  happiness.  Experience  has  clearly 
demonstrated  that,  in  their  present  state,  it  is  impossible  to 
incorporate  them  in  such  masses,  in  any  form  whatever,  into 
our  system.  It  has  also  demonstrated,  with  equal  certainty, 
that  without  a  timely  anticipation  of,  and  provision  against,  the 
dangers  to  which  they  are  exposed,  under  causes  which  it  will 
be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  control,  their  degradation  and 
extermination  will  be  inevitable." 

Such  were  the  opinions  of  President  Monroe  in  1825,  sup 
ported  by  an  able  report  by  Secretary  Calhoun.  I  will  give  the 
following  short  extract  from  the  report :  "  There  are  now  in 
most  of  the  tribos  well  educated,  sober,  and  reflecting  individuals, 
who  are  afflicted  at  the  present  condition  of  the  Indians,  and 
despondent  at  their  future  prospects.  Under  the  operation  of 
existing  causes,  they  behold  the  certain  degradation,  misery,  and 
even  final  annihilation  of  their  race,  and,  no  doubt,  would  gladly 
embrace  any  arrangement  which  would  promise  to  elevate  them 
in  the  scale  of  civilization,  and  arrest  the  destruction  which  now 
awaits  them." 

Mr.  Adams,  with  great  force  of  argument,  \\hile  President 
of  the  United  States,  sustained,  these  doctrines  and  opinion-. 
His  two  Secretaries,  Govetnour  Barbour  and  General  Porter, 


APPENDIX. 


591 


with  great  ability,  repeatedly  enforced  the  same  doctrines  and 
principles.  Our  most  enlightened  superintendents  and  agents 
of  Indian  affairs  have  all  become  converts  to  Indian  emigration; 
our  most  pious  and  candid  missionaries  have  also  added  their 
testimony  in  our  favour.  One  of  the  most  devoted  and  pious 
missionaries,  (the  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy,)  with  whom  I  am  ac 
quainted,  has  said,  "  What  plan  will  most  likely  be  successful 
in  accomplishing  the  reformation  of  the  Indians?"  He  answers, 
"  I  offer  for  consideration  the  plan  recommended  to  Congress  by 
Mr.  Monroe,  late  President  of  the  United  States."  The  same 
gentleman  says,  "  We  are  well  aware  of  some  formidable  obsta 
cles  opposed  to  the  removal  of  the  Indians:  these  will  not  derive 
their  origin  or  their  support  from  the  Indians  themselves,  but 
both  will  be  found  in  the  avarice  of  white  men,  near  to  and 
mingling  with  the  Indians,  whose  interest  it  is  for  the  Indians  to 
remain  where  they  are,  and  in  their  present  condition.  I  deeply 
regret  the  necessity  of  mentioning  this  circumstance,  but  justice 
to  my  subject,  to  the  Indians,  and  to  my  own  conscience,  de 
mands  it  of  me.  We  may  prepare  to  encounter  a  host  of  oppo- 
sers,  consisting  of  traders,  both  licensed  and  unlicensed,  many 
of  them  speaking  the  Indian  language  fluently,  and  in  habits  of 
daily  intercourse  with  them,  often  allied  by  marriage,  and  other 
wise  by  blood  ;  and  from  many  others  who  profit  more  or  less 
by  a  commission  from  our  Government,  for  the  performance  of 
services  in  the  Indian  department.  Remove  the  Indians,  and 
the  fountain  fails.  The  story,  perhaps,  has  never  been,  nor  will 
it  now  be  plainly  told,  that  scarce  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  oc 
curs,  in  which  the  commissioners  of  the  United  States  are  not 
obliged  to  shape  some  part  of  it  to  suit  the  convenience  of  some 
of  this  class  of  persons." 

I  ask  special  attention  to  the  foregoing  extracts,  as  well  as  to 
the  source  from  whence  they  are  taken.  They  are  the  deliberate 
opinions  of  one  of  our  most  experienced,  pious,  and  persevering 
missionaries,  who  is  resolved  to  devote  his  whole  life  in  sustain 
ing  the  missionary  cause  among  the  Indians.  The  Baptists 
have,  through  their  organs,  the  officers  of  their  religious  boards, 
conventions,  and  associations,  for  years  past,  at  every  session  of 
Congress,  reminded  you  of  the  interest  they  feel,  and  the 
labours  they  have  bestowed,  towards  the  great  object  of  Indian 
civilization.  Moreover,  they  have  expressed  their  convictions 
that  your  emigration  plan  affords  the  best  and  most  permanent 
prospect  of  success  to  their  missionary  efforts. 

Whatever  doctrines  may  have  been  advanced  by  theoretical 
writers  upon  this  subject,  the  practical  comment  of  all  nations 


592  APPENDIX. 

will  sustain  the  doctrines  contained  in  the  message  of  President 
Jackson,  at  the  commencement  of  the  present  session  of  Con 
gress,  as  follows : 

"  The  condition  and  ulterior  destiny  of  the  Indian  tribes, 
within  the  limits  of  some  of  our  States,  have  become  objects  of 
much  interest  and  importance.  It  has  long  been  the  policy  of 
Government  to  introduce  among  them  the  arts  of  civilisation,  in 
the  hope  of  gradually  reclaiming  them  from  a  wandering  life. 
This  policy  has  been  coupled  with  another,  wholly  incompatible 
with  its  success.  Professing  a  desire  to  civilize  and  settle  them, 
we  have,  at  the  same  time,  lost  no  opportunity  to  purchase  their 
lands,  and  thrust  them  further  into  the  wilderness.  By  this  means 
they  have  not  only  been  kept  in  a  wandering  state,  but  have 
been  led  to  look  upon  us  as  unjust  and  indifferent  to  their  fate. 
Thus,  though  lavish  in  its  expenditures  upon  the  subject,  Gov 
ernment  has  constantly  defeated  its  own  policy,  and  the  Indians 
in  general,  receding  further  and  further  to  the  west,  have  retain 
ed  their  savage  habits.  A  portion,  however,  of  the  southern 
tribes,  having  made  some  progress  in  the  arts  of  civilized  life, 
have  lately  attempted  to  erect  an  independent  government  with 
in  the  limits  of  Georgia  and  Alabama.  These  States,  claiming 
to  be  the  only  sovereigns  within  their  territories,  extended  their 
laws  over  the  Indians,  which  induced  the  latter  to  call  upon  the 
United  States  for  protection. 

"  Our  conduct  towards  these  people  is  deeply  interesting  to 
our  national  character.  Their  present  condition,  contrasted  with 
what  they  once  were,  makes  a  powerful  appeal  to  our  sympa 
thies.  Our  ancestors  found  them  the  uncontrolled  possessors  of 
these  vast  regions.  By  persuasion  and  force,  they  have  been 
made  to  retire  from  river  to  river,  and  from  mountain  to  moun 
tain,  until  some  of  the  tribes  have  become  extinct,  and  others 
have  but  remnants  to  preserve  for  a  while  their  once  terrible 
names.  Surrounded  by  the  whites,  with  their  arts  of  civiliza 
tion,  which,  by  destroying  the  resources  of  the  savage,  doom 
him  to  weakness  and  decay,  the  fate  of  the  Mohegan,  the  Nar- 
ragansett,  and  the  Delaware,  is  fast  overtaking  the  Choctaw, 
the  Cherokee,  and  the  Creek.  That  this  fate  surely  awaits 
them,  if  they  remain  within  the  limits  of  the  States,  does  not 
admit  of  a  doubt.  Humanity  and  national  honour  demand  that 
every  effort  should  be  made  to  avert  so  great  a  calamity.  It  is 
too  late  to  inquire  whether  it  was  just  in  the  United  States  to 
include  them  and  their  territory  within  the  bounds  of  new  States, 
whose  limits  they  could  not  control.  That  step  cannot  be 
retraced.  A  State  cannot  be  dismembered  by  Congress,  or  re- 


APPENDIX.  593 

stricted  in  the  exercise  of  her  constitutional  power.  But  the 
people  of  those  States,  and  of  every  State,  actuated  by  feelings 
of  justice  and  regard  for  our  national  honour,  submit  to  you  the 
interesting  question,  whether  something  cannot  be  done,  con 
sistently  with  the  rights  of  the  States,  to  preserve  this  much 
injured  race. 

"  As  a  means  of  effecting  this  end,  I  suggest  for  your  consi 
deration  the  propriety  of  setting  apart  an  ample  district  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  without  the  limits  of  any  State  or  Territory 
now  formed,  to  be  guarantied  to  the  Indian  tribes  as  long  as  they 
shall  occupy  it ;  each  tribe  having  a  distinct  control  over  the 
portion  designated  for  its  use.  There  they  may  be  secured  in 
the  enjoyment  of  governments  of  their  own  choice,  subject  to 
no  other  control  from  the  United  States  than  such  as  may  be 
necessary  to  preserve  peace  on  the  frontier  and  between  the 
several  tribes.  There  the  benevolent  may  endeavour  to  teach 
them  the  arts  of  civilization,  and,  by  promoting  union  and  har 
mony  among  them,  to  raise  up  an  interesting  commonwealth, 
destined  to  perpetuate  the  race,  and  to  attest  the  humanity  and 
justice  of  the  Government. 

"This  emigration  should  be  voluntary;  for  it  would  be  as 
cruel  as  unjust  to  compel  the  aborigines  to  abandon  the  graves  of 
their  fathers,  and  seek  a  home  in  a  distant  land.  But  they  should 
be  distinctly  informed,  that  if  they  remain  within  the  limits  of  the 
States,  they  must  be  subject  to  their  laws." 

In  all  the  acts — first  by  the  Colonies,  and  afterwards  by  the 
State  Governments — the  fundamental  principle,  that  the  Indians 
had  no  right  either  to  the  soil  or  sovereignty  of  the  countries 
they  occupied,  has  never  been  abandoned,  either  expressly  or 
by  implication.  The  rigour  of  the  rule  for  excluding  savages 
from  the  soil,  to  make  room  for  agriculturists,  has  been  mitigated. 
Hence  we  find  reservations  made  for  the  Indians  in  most  of  the 
old  States,  as  well  as  by  the  Federal  Government.  It  is  believed, 
that  no  respectable  jurist  would  risk  his  reputation  by  contend 
ing  that  a  right  to  land  could  be  maintained  before  any  of  our 
courts,  State  or  Federal,  where  the  title  has  been  derived  from 
Indians,  unless  the  lands  had  been  granted  or  patented  by  the 
Federal  or  State  Governments. 

The  practice  of  buying  Indian  lands  is  nothing  more  than  the 
substitute  of  humanity  and  benevolence,  and  has  been  resorted 
to  in  preference  to  the  sword.  When  the  Indians,  in  any  Co 
lony  or  State,  were  numerous,  powerful,  and  warlike,  it  has  been 
the  practice  of  all  to  conciliate  them  by  entering  into  compacts 
and  treaties,  and  thus  effect  by  prudence  what  they  were  unable 
75 


594  APPENDIX. 

to  perform  by  force.  By  all  the  old  States,  except  Georgia, 
tliis  kind  of  treaty  legislation  has  long  since  been  abandoned, 
and  direct  legislation,  for  the  control  and  government  of  the  In 
dians,  substituted  in  lieu  thereof.  The  opinion  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  referred  to  by  my  friend  [Mr.  Bell]  from  Tennessee,  I 
believe  is  received  and  considered  orthodox  by  every  State  in 
the  Union,  in  which  the  distinguished  and  learned  Judge  Spen 
cer  declared,  "  that  he  knew  of  no  half-way  doctrine  on  this 
subject.  If  a  State  has  jurisdiction  at  all,  it  has  complete  and 
entire  jurisdiction.  The  principle  upon  which  jurisdiction  is 
assumed  does  not  admit  of  division." 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  with  a  view  of  maintaining 
the  doctrine  of  Indian  sovereignty;  and  I  admit  many  of  the  acts 
of  the  General  and  State  Governments  may  be  selected,  apart 
from  their  general  policy,  which  would  seem  to  afford  support  to 
this  position.  Yet,  when  we  take  the  whole  policy  and  history 
of  these  Governments,  as  exhibiting  an  entire  system,  it  must  be 
admitted  they  have  never  hesitated  to  extend  their  sovereignty 
over  the  Indians,  in  their  respective  spheres,  when  it  was  deem 
ed  expedient  to  bring  them  under  their  laws  and  jurisdiction  ; 
unless,  indeed,  we  find  this  hesitancy  in  the  absence  of  physical 
power.  Here  I  will  remark,  that  the  only  reason  why  any  State 
in  this  Union  permitted  the  interference  or  sought  the  aid  of 
the  General  Government  in  the  management  and  control  of  the 
Indian  tribes  residing  within  their  respective  boundaries,  has 
been  on  account  of  their  physical  weakness ;  and  they  have, 
therefore,  looked  to  this  Government  for  that  aid  and  succour, 
to  afford  which  it  was  established  by  the  several  States  of  this 
Union.  In  all  the  States  we  find,  so  soon  as  the  Indians  were 
reduced  to  a  condition  that  no  danger  was  to  be  apprehended 
from  their  power  and  hostility,  the  States  have  invariably  taken 
their  Indian  affairs  into  their  own  hands,  and  no  longer  looked 
to  the  federal  arm  for  aid.  While  the  population  of  a  State  is 
small  and  its  territory  extensive,  large  tracts  of  country  are  per 
mitted  to  remain,  for  the  use  and  privilege  of  the  Indians  to  hunt 
and  roam  from  place  to  place.  They  are  also  left  to  regulate 
their  own  affairs  according  to  their  own  customs,  without  any 
interference  on  the  part  of  the  State.  But  when  this  state  of 
things  becomes  changed,  the  State  is  of  necessity  compelled  to 
assert  and  maintain  her  rights  of  sovereignty  and  jurisdiction. 

While  I  would  scorn  to  be  heard  in  the  tone  of  supplication, 
in  reference  to  the  rights  of  my  constituents,  I  would,  neverthe 
less,  as  the  sincere  and  candid  friend  of  the  Cherokee  Indians, 
use  the  language  of  expostulation  in  their  behalf.  A  crisis  ha* 


APPENDIX. 


595 


arrived  which  calls  for  action.  Things  can  no  longer  remain 
in  their  present  state.  Some  acknowledged  competent  author 
ity  must  be  sustained  in  what  is  called  the  Cherokee  country. 
In  its  absence,  we  may  daily  expect  to  hear  of  anarchy  and 
blood.  It  is  not  only  intruders  from  Georgia,  but  from  various 
other  States,  who  have  recently  rushed  into  the  Cherokee  coun 
try.  Give  your  support  to  the  bill  under  consideration.  Hold 
out  no  vain  and  delusive  hopes  to  these  sons  of  the  forest.  The 
history  of  the  past  gives  them  strong  claims  on  our  sympathy, 
benevolence,  and  liberality.  Join  us  in  this  great  effort  to  save 
the  remnant  tribes  of  the  aborigines.  They  are  a  peculiar 
people.  They  look  back  to  the  time  when  they  were  the  un 
disputed  masters  of  this  mighty  continent.  They  see  in  the 
future  no  reward  for  ambition  or  exertion,  unless  you  plant  them 
in  permanent  homes,  where  the  extended  views  of  their  true 
friends  and  benefactors  may  systematically  go  forward  with  some 
prospect  of  success. 

[No.  2,] 

The  following,  with  the  exception  of  one  unimportant  para 
graph,  is  the  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Missions 
of  the  Baptist  General  [Missionary]  Convention  of  the  Uni 
ted  States,  submitted  to,  but  not  adopted  by  the  Convention. 
See  page  447. 

The  progress  and  result  of  measures  heretofore  adopted  for  the 
promotion  of  Indian  reform  awaken  both  gratitude  and  regret. 
With  devout  gratitude  to  God,  we,  the  Committee,  have  contem 
plated  the  generous  sympathies  of  the  benevolent  for  the  over 
whelming  sufferings  of  the  aborigines  of  our  country.  They  ap 
preciate  the  energetic  efforts  which  have  been  put  forth  to  save 
from  utter  extermination  this  injured,  neglected,  and  perishing 
race,  and  the  untiring  perseverance  of  your  board  and  their  mission 
aries  in  the  prosecution  of  their  humane  plans,  though  constantly 
beset  with  difficulties  and  surrounded  by  discouragements.  But 
while  they  rejoice,  with  the  angels  of  God,  over  a  few  penitent 
natives  rescued  from  the  deepest  degradation  and  the  most  com 
plicated  misery,  who  are  now  mingling  their  prayers  with  those 
of  the  saints  on  earth,  or  swelling  the  song  of  the  redeemed 
in  heaven,  we  are  filled  with  regret  to  see  the  mass  of  Indian 
population  borne  away  by  the  unchecked  tide  of  desolation. 
That  our  laborious  and  expensive  operations  in  behalf  of  this 
iiuliiippy  people  have  been  attended  with  so  limited  success,  is 


59G 


APPENDIX. 


a  lamentable  fact,  which  must  be  ascribed  to  the  peculiarity  of 
their  situation,  to  which  the  world  affords  no  parallel.  Deprived 
of  their  ancient  inheritance — remote  from  the  settlements  of 
their  fathers — cut  off  from  their  chosen  employments — abased 
by  dependance — denied  a  rank  among  nations — slighted  by  their 
neighbours — irritated  by  frequent  insults — wounded  by  repeated 
injuries,  their  spirit  has  been  broken  down,  and  they  have  sunk 
into  sullen  sadness,  while  an  unbroken  cloud  of  impenetrable 
darkness  has  rested  upon  all  their  prospects.  Thus  situated,  they 
have  had  no  spur  to  ambition,  no  inducement  to  effort,  and  we 
have  possessed  no  moral  fulcrum  by  which  to  effect  their  eleva 
tion.  More  than  eight  years  ago  it  was  perceived  that  little 
hope  remained  of  missionary  operations  conferring  extensive  and 
lasting  benefits  on  the  Indians,  until  they  should  become  united 
among  themselves  and  fixed  in  their  residence.  The  Committee 
are  cheered  by  the  prospect  that  so  desirable  an  end  is  about  to 
be  accomplished.  The  Government  of  the  United  States  have 
proposed  to  give  them  a  permanent  home  in  the  region  west  of 
Arkansas  Territory  and  State  of  Missouri,  and  southwest  of 
Missouri  river,  embracing  an  extent  of  country  six  hundred  by 
two  hundred  miles,  fertile  and  adapted  to  the  production  of  all 
the  necessaries  and  most  of  the  comforts  of  life — where  their 
title  to  the  soil  is  to  be  secured  by  the  same  tenure  that  gives 
security  to  the  possessions  of  white  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
and  where  no  collision  will  exist  between  State  and  national 
claims.  Fourteen  tribes,  or  parts  of  tribes,  are  already  upon 
the  ground,  viz:  Choctaws,  Cherokees, Creeks,  Senecas,  Osages, 
Shawanoes,  Kauzaus,  Delawares,  Weas,  Piankashas,  Peorias, 
Otoes,  Omahas,  and  Pawnees,  while  many  thousands  are  emi 
grating  and  preparing  to  emigrate.  The  rapid  accumulation  of 
Indian  population  in  that  country  is  opening  a  wide  and  promi 
sing  field  for  missionary  labours.  This  inviting  prospect  of  use 
fulness  has  already  occasioned  proposals  to  be  made  to,  and  aid 
solicited  from  Government,  to  establish  missions  in  nine  tribes. 
To  supply  these,  twice  that  number  of  missionaries  are  requi 
site—only  five  of  whom  are  yet  provided.  Thirteen,  in  arldi- 
tion  to  the  present  number,  are  wanted  immediately — all  of 
whom,  it  is  believed,  could  be  employed  under  circumstances 
peculiarly  auspicious  to  their  lasting  usefulness. 

The  Committee  are  aware  that,  to  enable  the  Board  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  favourable  opening  in  the  Indian  territory,  an 
appeal  must  be  made  to  the  benevolence  of  our  denomination, 
Mor  can  they  doubt  the  success  of  sue!)  an  appeal  on  so  impor- 


APPENDIX.  597 

tant  an  occasion.  Such  an  opportunity  for  benefiting  this  long 
neglected  and  deeply  afflicted  race  has  never  before  been  pre 
sented  to  our  view,  and  if  neglected  may  never  recur.  The  last 
experiment  in  this  cause  of  benevolence  is  now  demanded.  A 
solitary  star  of  hope  now  gleams  on  the  dark  horizon  of  Indian 
prospects — the  fond_  expectation  is  cherished  of  their  being  con 
solidated  into  one  friendly  community,  and  ultimately  becoming 
a  representative  part  of  our  great  Republic.  It  is  devoutly 
hoped  that  the  readiness  of  some  to  offer  themselves  for  the 
work  of  missionaries,  and  of  others  to  furnish  the  means  of  their 
support,  will  be  proportioned  to  the  urgency  of  the  call. 

The  Committee  are  unable  to  suppress  their  sympathy  for  the 
Pawnee  tribe,  more  than  half  of  whom  have,  within  a  short  time, 
perished  by  the  ravages  of  the  small-pox ;  and  are  happy  to 
learn  that  Government  will  probably  interpose  an  effectual  bar 
rier  to  its  progress  by  vaccination. 

Your  Committee  believe  that  it  has  been  too  common  to 
estimate  our  obligations  to  the  aborigines  of  our  country  by  their 
number  only,  and  to  feel  and  act  as  if  an  equal  number  of  hea 
then  in  any  quarter  of  the  globe  had  an  equal  claim  upon  our 
missionary  efforts.  But  if  the  fact  be  considered  that  these  tribes 
numbered  millions  while  in  the  peaceful  occupation  of  the  land 
we  now  inhabit,  and  that  by  our  injustice  they  have  been  almost 
extirpated,  it  would  appear  that  for  us  to  neglect  them  at  this 
critical  moment,  when  their  preservation  or  total  extinction 
seems,  under  God,  to  depend  on  the  part  we  shall  act  towards 
them,  would  be  to  fill  up  the  measure  of  our  iniquity,  and  to 
provoke  the  judgment  of  Heaven  upon  us ! 

Your  Committee  would  also  express  gratitude  to  God  for 
his  protection  of  your  valuable  missionary,  Isaac  McCoy,  in  his 
hazardous  labours  in  surveying  the  Indian  country,  and  the  suc 
cess  of  his  efforts  to  procure  for  them  a  permanent  home. 

An  intimation  having  been  given  that  funds  may  be  obtained 
to  establish  a  printing  press  in  the  Indian  territory,  your  Com 
mittee,  fully  impressed  with  the  importance  of  so  powerful  a 
means  of  enlightening  that  ignorant  people,  recommend  the 
adopting  of  the  following  resolution : 

Resolved,  That  the  Board  be  requested  to  establish  a 
printing  press  in.  the  newly  acquired  Indian  territory,  provided 
it  can  be  done  without  using  funds  appropriated  to  other  ob 
jects. 

Your  Committee  recommend  that  agents  be  appointed  in 
various  places  to  receive  and  forward  such  articles  of  clothing, 


598  APPENDIX. 

bedding,  books,  &c.,  as  will  be  needed  at  Indian  stations;  and 
that  information  of  tlieir  appointments  be  given  in  the  Baptist 
periodicals. 

Jn  behalf  of  the  Committee  : 

J.  L.  DAG e,  Chairman. 


[Nb.  3.] 

Extracts  from  the  speech  of  the  Hon.  A.  H.  SEVIER,  of  Arkan 
sas,  on  the  bill  "  to  provide  Jor  the  security  and  protection  of 
the  emigrant  and  other  Indian  tribes  west  of  the  Stales  of 
Missouri  and  Arkansas,"  delivered  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States,  February  23,  1839. 

MR.  PRESIDENT  :  The  object  of  the  bill  now  under  consider 
ation  is,  what  its  title  purports,  "to  provide  for  the  security  and 
protection  of  the  emigrant  and  other  Indian  tribes  west  of  the 
States  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas."  And  I  might  add,  that  its 
object  is  also  to  provide  for  the  security  and  protection  of  the 
frontier  settlements  of  those  States,  and  for  the  civilization  and 
general  welfare  of  the  North  American  Indian  race. 

These,  Mr.  President,  are  the  objects  of  the  bill ;  and,  to  ac 
complish  them  effectually,  the  bill  proposes  to  establish,  in  the 
country  set  apart,  by  our  laws  and  our  treaties,  for  the  perma 
nent  residence  of  the  Indian  tribes,  an  Indian  Territorial  Gov 
ernment. 

That  such  an  organization,  for  such  a  population,  under  our 
authority,  is  new,  I  am  ready  to  admit;  but  should  it  appear,  in 
the  progress  of  this  discussion,  that  such  an  establishment,  on 
the  score  of  efficiency  and  economy,  is  probably,  of  all  others, 
the  best  calculated  to  secure  and  protect  the  Indians  against 
each  other,  as  well  as  our  own  citizens  in  their  vicinity,  I  feel 
assured  that,  though  the  measure  may  be  new,  it  will  receive, 
as  it  did  at  the  last  session  of  Congress,  the  marked  and  decided 
approbation  of  this  body.  The  country  proposed  to  be  organ 
ized  into  a  territory  is  described  in  the  first  section  of  the  bill. 
This  country,  it  will  be  perceived,  is  beyond  the  boundaries  of 
any  State  or  organized  Territory ,  or  white  settlement ;  its  average 
breadth  is  something  over  two  hundred  miles,  and  its  length 
about  six  hundred.  It  contains  an  area  of  about  eighty  millions 
of  acres,  and  is  healthy,  well  watered,  and  a  great  deal  of  it 
remarkably  fertile,  and  is  well  adapted  for  agricultural  and  pas 
toral  purposes.  Lead  ore,  iron  ore,  coal,  and  sail  springs,  have 


A^^ENDIX.  599 

been  discovered  in  it.  In  short,  all  those  who  reside  there,  as 
far  as  my  knowledge  extends,  are  well  pleased  with  their  situa 
tion.  This  is  a  short  description  of  the  country,  which  is  held 
by  them,  by  virtue  of  our  treaties,  in  fee  simple,  and  which, 
consequently,  is  forever  beyond  our  reach,  except  in  the  double 
contingency  of  its  abandonment  by  the  tribes,  or  of  their  extinc 
tion  ;  in  either  of  which  events,  it  reverts  to  the  United  States, 
and  comes  once  more  into  our  possession,  and  is  subject  to  our 
disposal,  as  other  public  land.  This  perpetual  tenure  is  re* 
affirmed  in  the  first  section  of  this  bill. 

Until  recently,  a  vast  majority  of  these  Indians  resided  within 
the  limits  of  the  States,  and,  while  in  that  condition,  it  was  not 
in  our  power  to  do  much  for  them  ;  and  the  uncertain  tenure 
by  which  they  held  their  lands,  their  embarrassment  by  State 
legislation,  and  the  constant  encroachment  upon  their  soil  by 
the  whites,  dissuaded  them  from  doing  much  for  themselves. 
Most  happily,  these  difficulties  no  longer  exist.  In  pursuance 
of  a  wise,  humane,  and  salutary  policy,  these  Indians  have  been 
sent  out  from  among  us,  and  are  placed,  side  by  side  of  each 
other  in  their  new  homes,  beyond  the  reach  of  further  encroach 
ment  or  intrusion.  In  this  location,  for  the  first  time  since  the 
revolution,  we  feel  ourselves  unrestrained,  in  our  legislation  for 
them,  by  any  question  of  jurisdiction,  or  power,  or  policy;  and, 
on  their  part,  they  have  imbibed  a  stimulus  to  exertion,  in  feel 
ing  that  they  have  a  permanent  home — in  feeling  untrammelled 
by  State  laws,  and  unmolested  by  unwelcome  intruders.  Their 
location  is  fortunate  for  us  on  another  account.  They  are  now 
remote  from  any  unfriendly  foreign  influence  in  time  of  war, 
and  in  time  of  peace  we  find  them  a  great  convenience  in 
carrying  on,  through  their  country,  a  profitable  commerce  to 
Santa  Fe. 

Being  thus  permanently  settled,  it  now  becomes  our  duty  to 
view  them  in  their  new  position,  and  to  shape  our  legislation 
accordingly.  We  must  now  give  up  our  temporary  measures, 
and  place  our  relations  with  them  upon  a  firm  and  solid  basis. 
We  are  bound  by  solemn  treaty  obligations  to  them — we  are 
bound  by  duty  to  our  own  people  in  their  vicinity — to  provide 
permanently  and  effectually  for  the  mutual  peace  and  protection 
of  all  parties;  and,  to  succeed  in  the  accomplishment  of  these 
high  national  obligations,  something  else  is  required  at  our  hands 
than  forts,  and  troops,  and  bayonets,  or  agencies,  or  superintend- 
encies,  or  the  potent  eloquence  of  annuities ;  and  that  is,  the 
adoption  of  some  binding  international  laics  or  regulations, 
for  the  amicable  adjustment  of  all  the  differences  which  may 


eoo 


APPENDIX. 


occur  among  the  respective  tribes.  The  commission  of  fraud, 
or  trespass,  or  felony,  by  an  individual  of  one  tribe  upon  an 
individual  of  another  tribe,  must  cease  to  be  a  justifiable  cause 
for  war  among  them  ;  these  injuries  must  be  redressed  by  law, 
in  a  peaceable  manner. 

Sir,  previous  to  the  commencement  of  the  policy  of  locating 
the  Indians  west,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  indigenous 
tribes  of  that  region,  from  time  immemorial,  had  been  engaged 
in  wars  not  only  among  themselves,  but  with  the  tribes  east  of 
the  Mississippi  river;  with  some  of  the  identical  Indians  we 
have  located  in  their  immediate  neighbourhood.  For  example, 
the  Osages,  who  were  once  formidable,  frequently  sent  out  war 
parties  east  of  that  river;  and  these  tribes,  thus  assailed,  in 
their  turn,  invaded  the  Osage  country  west  of  that  river. 

The  remembrance  of  these  long-existing  feuds  and  mutual 
injuries  is  yet  fresh  in  the  recollection  of  all  of  them  of  the 
present  day,  and  these  reminiscences  but  too  frequently  display 
themselves  in  acts  of  open  murder  and  secret  assassination. 

We  have  not  only  these  indigenous  tribes — who  have  never 
been  substantially  at  peace — to  govern,  but  we  have  also  some 
seventeen  or  eighteen  immigrant  tribes  to  manage  and  control ; 
and  of  the  latter  of  these  we  have  good  reason  to  anticipate 
some  trouble,  on  account  of  the  ill  feeling  some  of  them  bear 
us,  arising  from  causes  occurring  previous  to  their  removal ;  and 
these  causes,  whether  real  or  imaginary,  are  not  likely  to  be 
soon  forgotten. 

The  tribes  now  residing  in  this  territory  do  not  feel  bound  to 
peace  by  the  existence  of  any  international  law.  The  only 
law  at  this  time  which  they  understand  or  appreciate  is  that 
which,  of  all  others,  is  the  most  destructive — the  law  of  retali 
ation. 

There  are  now  in  the  territory  about  ninety-five  thousand 
Indians,  belonging  to  twenty-two  separate  tribes,  and  speaking 
as  many  different  languages.  Some  few  of  these — the  Choc- 
taws,  the  Chickasaws,  and  Cherokees — have,  to  some  extent, 
written  laws  for  the  internal  government  of  their  respective 
tribes;  and  the  Delawares,  I  understand,  are  about  imitating 
their  example.  With  these  exceptions,  the  whole  of  these 
ninety-five  thousand  Indians,  who  are  divided  into  upwards  of 
twenty  tribes,  who  speak  different  language?,  who  reside  adjoin 
ing  each  other,  and  many  of  whom  entertain  for  each  other 
mutual  hereditary  animosities,  have  for  their  government  no 
international  law. 

To  avoid  the  disastrous  consequences  which  must  inevitably 


APPENDIX.  601 

result  from  this  critical  condition  of  things,  this  bill  is  proposed, 
by  which  it  is  thought  these  twenty-two  tribes  may  be  induced 
to  adopt  some  general  code  by  which  their  differences,  of  what 
ever  character,  may  be  amicably  adjusted. 

This  important  object,  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs  be 
lieve,  can  be  effected  under  the  auspices  and  influence  of  the 
United  States,  and  not  without  their  countenance  and  support. 

This  important  view  of  this  subject  seems  to  have  been  taken 
by  the  proper  department  some  years  ago.  In  1833,  a  corn- 
mission  was  constituted  by  our  Government,  the  object  of  which 
was  to  promote  harmony  and  good  feeling  among  the  Indian 
tribes.  In  1834,  similar  efforts  for  similar  purposes  were  made 
by  the  Government,  and  with  some  success.  The  chiefs  of 
different  tribes  were  brought  together  in  council,  and,  through 
the  instrumentality  of  our  agent,  mutual  engagements  of  peace 
and  friendship  were  entered  into  by  those  chiefs,  and,  for  twelve 
or  eighteen  months,  these  engagements  had  a  most  salutary 
effect;  but  for  the  last  year  or  two,  for  some  cause  or  other 
unknown  to  me,  these  councils  have  ceased  to  command  the 
special  attention  of  the  Government;  and,  losing  that  support 
and  patronage,  they  have  been  abandoned  by  the  chiefs  them 
selves,  and  hence  depredations  on  property  have  been  repeated, 
and  murders  committed. 

To  show  you,  sir,  to  what  extent  these  things  are  carried  on 
in  that  quarter,  I  will  trouble  you  with  reading  a  few  paragraphs 
from  a  work  to  which,  in  the  course  of  my  remarks,  I  shall  have 
occasion  frequently  to  refer.  The  work  is  entitled  "An  Annual 
Register  of  Indian  Affairs  in  the  Indian  Territory,"  and  is  edited 
by  the  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy,  with  whom  it  is  my  good  fortune  to 
be  'acquainted  :  a  gentleman  of  extensive  information,  of  fervent 
piety,  of  active  enterprise  ;  one  who  has  devoted  the  last  twenty 
years  of  his  life  in  the  laudable  efforts  of  striving  to  civilize, 
Christianize,  educate,  and  improve  the  moral  condition  of  the 
Indian.  It  is  from  the  printed  work  of  such  an  author  that  I 
will  now  read  to  the  Senate  a  few  paragraphs.  He  states 
that — 

"In  1833,  the  Government  convened  councils  of  a  general 
nature,  of  delegates  from  various  tribes,  and  induced  them  to 
exchange  mutual  promises  to  be  at  peace  with  one  another. 
This  measure,  though  it  touched  the  subject  but  slightly,  never 
theless,  produced  a  good  effect.  All  parties,  for  some  time, 
abstained  from  depredation  and  murder.  These  councils  not 
being  repeated,  the  parties  felt  less  restraint,  and  ultimately  re 
turned  to  their  former  unkind  treatment  of  one  another,  and 

76 


602 


APPENDIX. 


thefts  an<J  murders  have  become  more  frequent  with  each  suc 
ceeding  year. 

"  The  Osages  are  accused  of  destroying  hogs  and  cattle  be 
longing  to  the  neighbouring  tribes,  to  a  considerable  amount. 
Horse  stealing  is  frequent  in  divers  places,  carried  on  by  the 
worthless  of  different  tribes.  By  some,  the  work  is  almost 
reduced  to  system  ;  they  will  steal  horses  in  the  southern  parts 
of  the  territory,  or  in  Texas,  and  convey  them  north,  and  there 
steal  others,  and  take  back  on  their  return. 

"  But,  besides  the  renegadoes,  whose  crimes  are  disapproved 
by  their  well  principled  countrymen,  there  are  others  engaged 
in  these  and  in  worse  practices,  for  which  they  are  honoured  by 
their  respective  tribes,  according  to  Indian  custom.  The  Kau- 
zaus  have  brought  into  their  villages  at  least  thirty  stolen  horses, 
within  the  last  summer  and  autumn.  The  Osages  have  stolen, 
perhaps,  a  greater  number,  among  which  are  some  valuable 
horses  belonging  to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States.  In  Au 
gust  last,  a  large  drove  of  horses  was  stolen  from  one  of  the 
Osage  villages. 

"  In  April,  1838,  a  few  Pawnees  made  a  friendly  visit  to  the 
Sauks  and  loways,  on  Missouri.  As  they  were  returning  to 
their  homes,  a  party  of  Kauzaus  fell  in  with  them  and  attacked 
them,  and  killed  one. 

"  In  August  last,  the  Kauzaus  and  Osages  sent  out  a  war 
party,  consisting  of  about  eighty  warriors.  They  surprised  a 
party  of  Pawnees,  and  took  eleven  scalps.  Four  of  their  men 
were  killed,  and  two  wounded.  A  few  of  the  united  party 
separated  from  the  main  body.  These,  also,  had  a  battle,  and 
took  five  scalps,  making  seventeen  killed  by  those  tribes,  of 
whom  we  have  obtained  certain  information.  Reports  of  other 
murders  committed  by  other  tribes  have  been  in  circulation. 
On  the  1st  September  last,  a  war  party  of  about  twenty  Kau 
zaus  were  out,  the  result  of  which  we  have  not  heard. 

"  In  the  months  of  June,  July,  and  August,  the  Rev.  M. 
Merrill,  missionary  to  the  Otoes,  accompanied  that  tribe  on  their 
buffalo  hunt,  which  lasted  more  than  two  months.*  They  saw 
three  war  parties  of  Pawnees ;  the  first  was  a  party  of  thirty, 
who  had  been  to  the  Cheyennes  to  steal  horses.  They  had, 
first,  a  skirmish  with  the  Cheyennes,  and  had  been  defeated, 
with  the  loss  of  one  killed  and  one  badly  wounded.  They  next 
fell  in  with  a  party  of  Osages,  and  were  again  defeated,  with 
the  loss  of  two  men  killed. 

*  This  party  consisted  of  eight  hundred  souls,  men,  women,  and  children. 
They  killed  hundreds  of  buffaloes. 


APPENDIX. 


603 


"The  second  was  a  party  of  ten,  which  had  started  to  the 
Usage  villages  to  steal  horses.  One  of  their  party  was  bitten 
by  a  snake,  which  induced  them  to  return  without  accomplish 
ing  any  thing. 

"The  third  party  said  they  were  going  to  the  Cheyennes  to 
steal  horses,  but  it  was  believed  that  they  designed  committing 
depredations  upon  the  Osages. 

"Near  the  western  boundary  of  the  Cherokee  country,  a 
bloody  battle  was  fought  the  last  summer,  (1838,)  between  the 
Kiawas  and  Camanches  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Cheyennes 
on  the  other." 

The  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs,  viewing  this  subject  in  the 
li^ht  I  have  endeavoured  to  present  it  to  the  Senate,  and  wish 
ing  to  furnish  the  remedy  for  the  existing  evil,  offer  this  bill  for 
your  acceptance.  They  offer  it  as  a  measure  of  peace,  and  one 
which,  in  their  opinion,  is  amply  sufficient,  if  faithfully  adminis 
tered  by  the  Executive  authorities,  to  preserve  from  extermina 
tion  the  wretched  fragment  of  the  Indian  race.  These  are 
among  the  leading  objects  of  the  bill,  but  they  are  not  the  only 
objects.  We  desire  something  more.  We  desire  to  civilize  and 
improve  the  condition  of  the  Indian,  by  imparting  to  him  our 
institutions,  and  religion,  and  our  arts  and  sciences ;  and  to  do 
this  successfully,  he  must  have  peace  and  repose. 

Sir,  when  we  remember  who  these  Indians  were,  and  what 
they  are,  we  anticipate,  in  this  most  noble,  disinterested,  and 
benevolent  enterprise,  the  efficient  aid  of  the  Senate.  Let  us, 
upon  this  occasion,  lift  ourselves  above  our  prejudices,  and  for 
get  the  history  of  the  bloody  and  exterminating  wars  which 
were  carried  on  upon  this  continent  for  several  centuries,  be 
tween  our  ancestors  and  the  natives  of  this  country;  contests, 
as  we  all  know,  which  have  resulted  in  the  subjugation  and 
overthrow  of  the  one  race,  by  the  arms,  and  skill,  and  courage, 
of  the  other.  The  millions  of  these  natives  who  once  inhab 
ited  the  Atlantic  coast  are,  at  this  day,  no  where  here  to  be 
found;  and  this  extensive  and  invaluable  country,  which  was 
theirs,  and  for  which  they  fought,  is  ours  now.  We  hold  undis 
puted  dominion  over  it ;  we  have  derived  it  from  them  by  gift, 
or  by  purchase,  or  by  conquest.  No  descendant  of  theirs,  if 
there  be  descendants  of  the  original  proprietors,  is  found  to  ques 
tion  our  title  to  it.  Let  us  remember  the  kind  and  hospitable 
reception  of  our  ancestors  by  the  natives  of  this  country — a  re 
ception  which  has  been  perpetuated  by  carved  figures  in  the 
walls  of  the  rotundo  of  the  capitol.  And  in  remembering  these 
things,  let  us  this  day  step  forward  and  do  something  for  our 


604 


APPENDIX. 


wretched  dependants,  worthy  of  a  great,  a  merciful,  and  gene 
rous  Christian  people.  Public  sentiment  will  sustain  us  in  such 
an  effort.  Our  intercourse  with  the  Indian,  which  has  met  with 
the  approbation  of  our  constituents,  has  undergone,  during  the 
last  few  years,  a  very  material  change.  We  no  longer  purchase 
his  lands  for  beads,  and  tobacco,  and  paints,  and  strouding,  and 
beaver  traps,  and  other  such  worthless  gewgaws.  No — we 
give  him  now  a  fair  equivalent  in  something  more  substantial; 
we  give  him  implements  of  husbandry,  cattle,  hogs,  houses, 
farmers,  mechanics,  and  teachers,  and  heap  up  to  him  money 
in  almost  countless  thousands.  And  what,  Mr.  President,  have 
been  the  happy  results  growing  out  of  this  new,  though  just 
and  liberal,  policy  ?  It  is  most  grateful  to  the  heart  of  human 
ity  to  contemplate  it.  Results  have  sprung  from  it  which  no 
one,  a  few  years  ago,  ever  contemplated. 

In  1817,  a  little  upwards  of  twenty  years  ago,  when  the  first 
effective  step  was  taken  to  colonize  the  Indians  west  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  we  find  it  stated  in  the  preamble  to  the  Cherokee  treaty 
of  that  date,  that  the  object  of  this  colonization,  as  understood 
and  expressed  by  both  parties,  was  exclusively  for  hunting. 
Improvement  or  civilization  of  these  immigrants  was  not  dream 
ed  of  by  the  worthy  negotiators  of  that  instrument.  We  find 
in  the  sixth  article  of  that  treaty  these  words :  "  The  United 
States  do  also  bind  themselves  to  give  to  all  of  the  poor  war 
riors  who  may  remove  to  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi,  one 
rifle  gun  and  ammunition,  one  blanket,  and  one  brass  kettle,  or, 
in  lieu  of  it,  one  beaver  trap,  which  is  to  be  considered  a  full 
compensation  for  the  improvements  which  they  leave."  They 
went  thither  with  the  avowed  purpose,  and  with  the  necessary 
accoutrements,  for  remaining  in  their  original  barbarity  and  igno 
rance,  and  to  enjoy  unmolested  their  savage  propensities  for  war 
and  for  the  chase. 

The  number  of  those  who  emigrated  was  about  three  thou 
sand.  Instead  of  pursuing  the  chase,  as  was  anticipated,  they 
went  to  work;  and  in  1835,  in  the  space  of  about  eighteen 
years,  they  had  increased  to  four  thousand  ;  they  had  acquired 
property,  had  become  agriculturists,  and  had  become  civilized 
to  a  great  degree,  as  I  will  show  you  by  referring  again  to  the 
Register  of  Indian  Affairs. 

Mr.  McCoy  says: 

"  They  own  numerous  salt  springs,  three  of  which  are  worked 
by  Cherokees.  The  amount  of  salt  manufactured  is  probably 
about  one  hundred  bushels  per  day. 

"  They  also  own  two  lead  mines.    Their  salt  works  and  their 


APPENDIX. 


605 


lead  mines  are  in  the  eastern  portion  of  their  country;  and  all 
the  settlements  yet  formed  are  within  this  eastern  portion,  which 
embraces  about  two  and  a  half  millions  of  acres. 

"  Like  the  Choctaw,  the  Cherokee  nation  embraces  all  con 
ceivable  conditions  between  refinement,  intelligence,  and  wealth, 
and  the  opposite  extremes,  but  little  removed  from  the  original 
state.  The  earlier  immigrants  are,  perhaps,  in  more  comfort 
able  condition  than  the  same  proportion  of  any  other  tribe  within 
the  territory.  But  with  the  large  accession  of  late  immigrants, 
there  has  necessarily  been  an  augmentation  of  uncomfortable- 
ness. 

"  Some  of  them  own  immense  herds  of  cattle.  We  counted 
upwards  of  two  hundred  at  one  time  within  sight,  grazing  on  the 
prairies,  belonging  to  one  man  ;  and  it  was  thought  he  owned 
about  one  hundred  more.  It  was  thought  by  some  intelligent 
white  men  in  their  country,  that  within  five  years  past,  they  had 
sold  between  six  and  seven  thousand  head  of  cattle. 

"They  probably  own  three  thousand  horses,  fifteen  thousand 
five  hundred  hogs,  six  hundred  sheep,  one  hundred  and  ten 
wagons,  a  plough,  and  often  several  ploughs,  to  each  farm,  sev 
eral  hundred  spinning-wheels,  and  one  hundred  looms. 

"  They  cultivate  all  kinds  of  culinary  vegetables  common  to 
the  western  country;  raise  corn  in  abundance,  and  have  com 
menced  the  growing  of  wheat.  Their  fields  are  enclosed  with 
rail  fences.  They  have,  generally,  good  log  dwellings,  (for  a 
new  country,)  many  of  which  have  stone  chimneys  to  them, 
with  plank  floors,  all  erected  by  themselves.  Their  houses  are 
furnished  with  plain  tables,  chairs,  and  bedsteads;  and  with  table 
and  kitchen  furniture,  nearly  or  quite  equal  to  the  dwellings  of 
white  people  in  new  countries. 

"  They  have  seven  native  merchants,  one  regular  physician, 
and,  unfortunately,  several  steam  doctors.  Several  of  them 
have,  at  divers  times,  become  partners  in  large  contracts  for  fur 
nishing  the  United  States'  army  and  immigrant  Indians.  The 
traveller  finds  among  them  houses  of  public  entertainment,  with 
neat  and  comfortable  accommodations. 

'  "  The  Cherokee  Government,  though  highly  creditable  to 
them,  is  not  fully  systematic  and  judicious,  like  that  of  the  Choc- 
taws.  This  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  unsettled  condition  of 
the  affairs  of  the  Cherokees  for  some  years  past.  The  laws 
extant  in  the  Territory  are  such  as  have  been  adopted  by  the 
earlier  immigrants,  since  their  settlement  in  this  country,  and 
are  not  a  transfer  of  the  code  to  which  the  larger  portion  of  the 
tribe  were  subordinate  on  the  east  of  the  Mississippi. 


606  APPENDIX. 

"  Their  settlements  are  divided  into  four  districts,  each  of 
which  elects,  for  the  term  of  two  years,  two  members  of  the 
national  council,  the  title  of  which  is,  '  the  General  Council  of 
the  Cherokee  Nation.'  By  law,  it  meets  annually  on  the  first 
Monday  in  October.  They  have  three  chiefs,  which,  till  lately, 
have  been  chosen  by  the  General  Council.  Hereafter  they  are 
to  be  elected  by  the  people.  The  approval  of  the  chiefs  is 
necessary  to  the  passage  of  a  law  ;  but  an  act  upon  which  they 
have  fixed  their  veto  may  become  a  law  by  the  vote  of  two- 
thirds  of  the  council.  The  council  consists  of  two  branches. 
The  lower  is  denominated  the  Committee,  and  the  upper  the 
Council.  The  concurrence  of  both  is  necessary  to  the  passage 
of  a  law.  The  chiefs  may  call  a  council  at  pleasure,  and  in 
several  other  respects  they  retain,  in  some  degree,  the  authority 
common  to  Indian  chiefs.  Two  judges  belong  to  each  district, 
which  hold  courts  when  necessary.  Two  officers,  denominated 
light-horsemen,  in  each  district,  perform  the  duties  of  sheriffs. 
A  company  of  six  or  seven,  denominated  light-horsemen,  the 
leader  of  whom  is  styled  Captain,  constitute  a  national  corps  of 
regulators,  to  prevent  infractions  of  the  law,  and  to  bring  to  jus 
tice  offenders." 

This,  Mr.  President,  is  the  present  condition  of  those  three 
thousand  Indians  who  in  1819  went,  as  I  have  already  told  you, 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  These  are  they,  the  wildest  of  their 
tribe,  who,  about  twenty  years  ago,  left  behind  them  their  own 
people,  their  hallowed  homes,  and  the  graves  of  their  forefathers, 
because  their  offensive  enemy,  civilization,  was  successfully 
approaching  their  wigwams. 

The  poorest  and  most  miserable  of  the  indigenous  tribes 
of  that  region,  in  consequence  of  a  change  in  our  policy  towards 
them,  and  in  consequence  of  having  a  permanent  home,  and  of 
being  undisturbed  by  our  people,  seem  to  have  imbibed  a  spirit 
of  industry  and  improvement,  and  to  be  rapidly  rising  up  from 
their  prostrated  state  of  degradation.  Yes,  the  poor  Otoe,  whose 
naked  body  was  never  covered,  until  lately,  with  any  other  gar 
ment  than  a  buffalo  skin,  is  now  seen  holding  the  handles  of  a 
plough,  and  is  to  be  seen  busily  engaged  in  tilling  the  earth,  for 
the  subsistence  of  himself,  his  wife,  and  children. 

The  principal  and  most  influential,  and,  with  a  few  individual 
exceptions,  by  far  the  best  informed  and  civilized,  of  the  tribes 
within  the  limits  of  the  proposed  territory,  are  the  Choctaws, 
the  Chickasaws,  the  Cherokees,  and  Creeks.  Many  of  these 
have  learned  our  language,  our  religion,  our  literature,  our  agri 
cultural  pursuits,  and  mechanic  arts.  Some  of  them  have 


APPENDIX.  607 

studied  our  forms  of  government,  and  have  organized  their  gov- 
erumenf  for  their  respective  tribes,  in  imitation  of  ours.  They 
have  printing  presses  among  them  ;  they  publish  newspapers  in 
the  English  and  Indian  languages.  They  print  their  school 
books  and  almanacs,  &c. ;  and  Guess,  a  full-blooded  Cherokee, 
an  untutored  savage,  has  had  the  lasting  honour  of  inventing  for 
the  Cherokees  their  alphabet.  Several  of  the  tribes  have  pro 
vided  for  the  establishment  of  schools,  several  of  which  are  now 
in  operation,  and  at  which  some  hundreds  of  Indian  youths  are 
annually  educated.  Some  tribes  have  set  apart  large  sums  of 
money,  forever,  of  which  our  Government  is  the  trustee,  for  pur 
poses  of  education.  These  tribes  have  among  them  several 
shrewd,  intelligent,  wealthy,  native  merchants,  who  annually 
import  into  the  country  many  thousand  dollars  worth  of  mer 
chandise. 

They  have  mills  and  gins,  and  cotton  farms,  and  in  1837  the 
Choctaws  made  and  sent  to  market  six  hundred  bales  of  cotton, 
worth  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

They  raise  every  year  a  large  surplus  of  corn,  hogs,  and  cat 
tle,  which  they  dispose  of,  in  part,  by  contract,  to  Government, 
to  feed  the  emigrating  Indians,  and  supply  the  troops  of  our  gar 
risons.  But,  as  this  inquiry  must  be  interesting  to  the  Senate,  I 
will  be  more  particular,  and  read  a  few  extracts  from  the  work 
1  have  previously  referred  to.  Speaking  of  the  Choctaws,  the 
author  of  this  work  says : 

"  They  are  improving  in  civilization  and  comfort.  Their 
houses  and  fields  indicate  a  good  degree  of  industry.  Many 
have  large  farms.  They  own  much  live  stock,  such  as  horses, 
cattle,  sheep,  and  swine ;  are  pretty  well  supplied  with  farming 
utensils.  They  own  about  six  hundred  negro  slaves. 

"  They  own  three  flouring  mills,  two  cotton  gins,  eighty-eight 
looms,  and  two  hundred  and  twenty  spinning-wheels.  They 
have  thirteen  native  merchants,  besides  white  men,  engaged  in 
the  same  business. 

"  In  respect  to  civilization,  there  is  great  difference  among 
them.  Some  have  fully  adopted  the  habits  of  civilized  man, 
many  are  in  comfortable  circumstances  in  life,  and  some  may  be 
said  to  be  wealthy.  From  these  more  favourable  circumstances 
all  grades  of  condition  exist,  down  to  the  Indian  who  is  advanced 
but  little  in  civilization." 

Of  the  Creeks,  he  states:  "They  cultivate  corn,  and  all  the 
vegetables  common  to  the  climate  and  country.  They  spin, 
weave,  sew,  and  follow  other  pursuits  of  industry.  Their  fields 
and  dwellings  resemble  those  of  white  people  in  new  settlements. 


COS 


APPENDIX. 


Many  of  them  have  large  stocks  of  cattle.  The  contractors  for 
furnishing  supplies  to  immigrant  Indians  have  purchased  of  the 
earlier  immigrants  vast  quantities  of  corn  ;  among  others,  the 
annexed  amounts  of  purchases  have  been  made  from  the  follow 
ing  persons,  prior  to  the  crop  of  1837 : 

Of  Lewis  Ferryman,       -  -  $3,650  worth  of  corn. 

"   Mr.  Hardrich,  -     4,500       "  " 

"  Daniel  Grayson,  -     1,500        "  " 

"   Richard  Grayson,       -  -     1,500       "  " 

"  George  Grayson,        -  -     1,500       "  " 

"   Mrs.  J.  Mclntosh,  (widow,)         -     1,400        "  " 

In  all,      $14,050  worth  of  corn. 

"  Before  the  crop  of  1837  had  been  harvested,  contracts  were 
made  for  upwards  of  $25,000  worth  of  corn.  Vast  quantities 
still  remain  unsold.  Even  the  latter  immigrants,  who  arrived  in 
their  country  the  winter  and  spring  previous  to  the  cropping 
season  of  1837,  though  they  had  to  prepare  new  fields,  in  the 
months  of  September  and  October,  of  the  same  year,  sold  to 
the  contractors  $10,000  worth  of  corn.  They  have  two  native 
merchants. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  Creeks,  as  a  people,  are  in  the  rear  of 
the  Choctaws  and  Cherokees,  in  regard  to  civilization,  there  is 
much  intelligence,  refinement,  and  wealth,  among  them." 

Mr.  President,  these  are  the  people  in  whose  behalf  the  Com 
mittee  on  Indian  Affairs  invoke  your  legislation.  These  are  the 
people  whom  we  desire,  in  the  faithful  discharge  of  our  covenants 
with  them,  to  preserve  from  exterminating  wars  among  them 
selves.  These  are  they  whom  we  desire  to  civilize  and  im 
prove,  and  to  keep  from  falling  back  into  their  original  state  of 
savageism,  from  which  they  have  so  recently  and  but  so  par 
tially  emerged. 

Here,  Mr.  President,  I  should  conclude  my  remarks,  were  it 
not  that  an  impression-  seems  to  prevail  in  the  minds  of  some 
gentlemen  that  the  Indians  will  not  willingly  accept  of  this  bill, 
or  comply  voluntarily  with  the  terms  it  proposes.  If  no  attempts 
had  been  made  to  ascertain  their  sentiments  upon  this  subject, 
I  should  say,  with  great  confidence,  from  my  knowledge  of  the 
Indian  character,  that  such  impressions  are  not  well  founded. 

The  Senate  will  recollect  that  this  is  the  third  time  this  bill 
has  been  introduced  into  this  body,  and  that  the  Indians  have 
been  very  minutely  apprized  of  our  movements  upon  this,  as 
they  'are,  generally,  upon  all  subjects  connected  with  their  inter- 


APPENDIX. 


C09 


ests.  Many  of  them  have  seen  copies  of  this  bill,  and  have  had 
its  several  provisions  explained  to  them.  Those  who  understood 
it  have  given  their  assent  to  it  in  the  most  unequivocal  manner. 
Eleven  of  the  tribes  have  assented  to  the  terms  of  this  bill,  and, 
should  it  become  a  law,  are  ready  to  comply  with  each  and  all 
of  its  provisions.  But  it  is  true,  as  I  understand,  that  the  Choc- 
taws  look  upon  it  with  jealousy,  and  have  been  induced  to  con 
sider  it  as  the  first  step  for  their  removal  further  towards  the 
"  setting  sun  ;"  and,  on  that  account,  disapprove  of  it.  Sir,  let 
them  understand  this  bill,  and  our  motives  in  passing  it,  and  I 
will  guarantee  that  they  will  accept  of  it  most  gratefully.  Why 
should  they,  of  all  others  the  most  interested  in  such  a  measure, 
refuse  or  be  unwilling  to  meet  their  brethren  in  council,  to  form 
a  confederacy  for  general  purposes  ?  I  can  see  no  good  reason 
for  their  refusal. 

By  the  fifth  section  of  this  bill  it  is  made  the  duty  of  the 
superintendent  to  "  invite  the  chiefs  of  the  various  tribes,  or 
parts  of  tribes,  embraced  in  this  act,  to  unite  in  a  general  coun 
cil,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  confederation,  for  regulating  the 
intercourse  and  preserving  peace  with  each  other,  and  for  their 
assent  to  such  of  the  provisions  of  this  act  as  may  require  their 
co-operation  or  assent ;  and  such  articles  of  confederation  and 
such  assent  shall  not  be  binding  on  any  tribe,  unless  subsequently 
assented  to  by  such  tribe  in  council,  or  by  its  delegates  duly  au 
thorized  for  that  purpose. 

Is  there  any  thing  in  this  section,  Mr.  President,  (and  this 
section  is  the  essence  of  the  whole  bill,)  which  looks  like  the 
first  step  for  driving  them  further  to  the  west  ?  And  by  the  first 
section  of  the  bill,  after  describing  the  boundary  of  the  territory, 
and  giving  it  a  name,  it  is  stipulated  that  those  lands  "  shall  be, 
and  the  same  are  hereby,  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  various 
Indian  tribes  who  have,  or  may  have,  a  right  to  the  same ;  and 
the  faith  of  the  United  States  is  hereby  pledged,  that  such  parts 
of  said  Indian  Territory  as  have  been  or  shall  be  granted  or 
ceded  to  any  of  the  Indian  tribes,  are  and  shall  be  secured  to 
them  and  their  descendants;  and  the  United  States  will  cause 
patents  to  be  issued  to  said  tribes,  respectively,  according  to  the 
terms  of  such  grants  or  cessions."  Has  this  the  appearance  of 
a  disposition,  on  our  part,  of  harbouring  the  treacherous  design 
of  driving  our  red  brethren  further  to  the  west  ?  No,  sir ;  no 
such  base  treachery  and  violation  of  our  plighted  faith,  I  am 
proud  to  say,  has  ever  yet  sullied  the  escutcheon  of  an  American 
Senate.  The  Senate  is  incapable  of  stooping  to  such  degrada 
tion,  or  of  packing  upon  their  consciences  such  a  load  of  infamy, 
77  " 


610  APPENDIX. 

We  have  no  such  views ;  our  object  is  to  benefit,  and  not  to 
injure ;  to  preserve,  and  not  to  destroy.  Permit  me  to  inform 
my  red  brethren,  that  if  ever  they  are  intruded  upon  by  our  citi 
zens,  that  intrusion  will  approach  them  from  the  west,  or  from 
the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  beyond  the  Rocky  mountains.  Let 
them  look  for  the  "  pale  faces"  in  that  direction,  for  they  have 
nothing  to  fear  from  them  from  any  other  quarter.  In  short, 
they  object  to  the  bill,  not  for  what  it  contains,  but  for  what  it 
does  not  contain. 

In  any  event,  this  will  be  a  harmless  measure,  as  it  can  ope 
rate  only  upon  those  who  voluntarily  assent  to  it.  And  should 
it  be  rejected,  after  fully  understanding  it,  and,  in  consequence 
of  that  rejection,  the  evils  we  anticipate  should  fall  upon  those 
unfortunate  human  beings,  it  will,  at  least,  be  a  consolation  for 
us  to  reflect  that,  as  humane  guardians,  we  have  done  our  duty 
in  trying  to  avoid  those  calamities. 

By  the  eighth  section  of  the  bill,  we  give  to  the  confederated 
tribes  a  delegate,  to  reside  at  the  seat  of  Government.  Being 
a  member  of  that  committee  whose  duty  it  is  to  take  cognizance 
of  all  subjects  relating  to  Indian  affairs,  I  feel  authorized  in  say 
ing,  that  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  interests,  both  of  the  United 
States  and  of  the  confederated  tribes,  would  be  promoted  by 
having  a  delegate  here  to  consult  and  advise  with.  Such  a  boon, 
addressed  to  aspiring  ambition,  it  is  thought,  would  also  have  a 
happy  tendency. 

Before  concluding  my  remarks,  it  is  proper  for  me  to  say  a 
word  or  two  upon  the  subject  of  administering  the  Indian  Territo 
rial  Government.  And  upon  this  particular  branch  of  the  inquiry, 
I  beg  leave  to  avail  myself  of  the  estimates  of  my  friend  and  late 
colleague  upon  the  committee,  [General  TJPTON,]  who,  from 
his  superior  knowledge,  and  the  great  time  he  has  devoted  to 
the  consideration  of  this  subject,  in  all  its  various  bearings,  is 
much  more  to  be  relied  upon  than  are  any  calculations  of  mine. 

"  At  the  end  of  the  first  four  years  after  the  Territorial  Gov 
ernment  goes  into  operation,  one-half  of  the  agents,  sub-agents, 
and  interpreters,  may  be  dispensed  with ;  and  after  the  expiration 
of  eight  years,  every  agent,  sub-agent,  and  interpreter,  may  be 
discharged,  leaving  to  the  superintendent,  the  chiefs,  and  the 
general  council,  the  management  of  the  entire  business  of  the 
Territory.  Among  the  immigrant  tribes,  there  are  a  number  of 
young  men  of  talent,  well  educated,  and  wanting  employment. 
These  men,  with  the  assistance  of  the  superintendent  and  coun 
cil,  will  be  able  to  manage  all  the  business  for  their  people 
within  their  Territory.  Offices  will  be  created  for  them  to  aspire 


APPENDIX.  611 

to,  and  it  will,  1  have  no  doubt,  be  found  the  interest  of  both 
our  Government  and  the  Indians,  at  no  distant  day,  to  withdraw 
every  white  man  holding  an  office  from  the  Territory,  leaving 
the  Indians  to  manage  their  own  concerns  for  themselves. 

"  The  expenditures  will  soon  be  still  further  reduced,  by  dis 
continuing  the  artisans  at  present  employed  among  the  Indians, 
under  treaty  stipulations,  as  above  stated,  all  of  whom,  except 
ing  two,  are  engaged  for  limited  periods.  Some  of  them  have 
been  several  years  engaged,  and  may  soon  be  discharged.  In 
the  year  1859,  the  term  of  service  for  the  longest  engagements 
will  expire.  At  that  period  we  can  withdraw  the  last  of  our 
mechanics  from  the  service  of  the  Indians,  and  it  is  proper  that 
we  should  do  so. 

"  It  will  become  the  duty  of  the  head  of  the  Indian  Department 
to  inform  the  Indians  that  our  Government  will,  at  the  end  of 
the  present  engagements  for  white  mechanics,  discontinue  them. 
The  superintendent  and  all  other  officers  of  the  Territory  will 
see  the  necessity  of  placing  Indian  youths  in  workshops,  either 
within  their  Territory  or  elsewhere,  to  learn  all  branches  of 
mechanism,  to  be  prepared  for  the  time  when  our  present  en 
gagements  to  furnish  them  will  have  expired." 


UNIVERSITY  OF  C/ 


